By REYNALD MAGALLON
One thing that has been consistent for Gilas Pilipinas so far in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup was the support it is getting from the huge Filipino crowd watching the games.
And it was even more evident in the game against Iraq when the Filipino faithful, mostly overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia and nearby middle-east countries, fueled the Nationals second half breakaway.
“Our crowd really elevates our game,” said Tim Cone following Gilas 66-57 victory that qualified the Filipinos to the knockout rounds.
“When we start playing well and they start, like Dwight (Ramos) hits a shot, they go crazy. He comes down, hits another shot, they go crazier. So that really lifts the spirit that we have,” he added.
Gilas fans even turned the King Abdullah Sports City into the Nationals’ homecourt when the Filipino crowd turned on their flashlights and waved it into the air in between timeouts.
The same level of enthusiasm and support is what Gilas hopes to once again receive when it seeks a quarterfinals berth against host Saudi Arabia in the crossover qualification round.
“It’s an amazing thing. And we experienced that back home. We experienced that basically everywhere we go in the world. And it’s just such a unique thing to our team and to our country and to our culture.”
Cone, however, admitted that with the Filipinos coming in droves and spending their hard-earned money to watch Gilas plays, somehow put pressure on the national team.
“It’s two-pronged. In other words, we also feel the pressure because we want to satisfy our crowd so much. They’re evident there. And sometimes we get a little tight and don’t play as free and easy,” Cone said
The veteran mentor, however, stressed that Gilas only needs to use that as a motivation instead.
“We’ve got to learn how to get over that as a group. But when we start getting things going, it really elevates the game of everybody.”
