GUAM is a squad Gilas Pilipinas should be wary of, and that has been a key emphasis by head coach Tim Cone, as they begin their quest to return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2027.
That journey begins on Friday when Gilas plays on the road at the Calvo Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Philippine standard time).
Cone said the Gilas coaching staff made it a point to familiarize themselves with Guam during the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 when the latter won over Syria, 82-73, last August 8, a first for the team in the competition.
“I’ve watched their games against Korea, watched them against Japan, watched them against Syria, the game they won in the FIBA Asia Cup,” he said. “I’ve watched all those games, so I know a little bit about them.”
“But we felt we knew a lot about Taiwan too when we played them, and they showed up with some guys we didn’t know about and really surprised us. We don’t want to be surprised this time,” he added, referring to the Philippines' shock loss to Chinese Taipei, 82-73 in the same tourney.
Guam more than Jericho
A very familiar face in the Guam side is Jericho Cruz, who will play for his national team for the first time since helping San Miguel to the PBA 49th Season Philippine Cup and winning Finals MVP in the process.
Of course, Cone is also on alert on their other players.
“We all know how Jericho plays. He plays hard all the time, physical, get under your skin when he wants to. But they’ve got three or four other [NCAA] Division I players from the States.” he said.
Included in Guam's official lineup are Tai Wesley and Takumi Fukuda, among the leading scorers of the team in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 aside from Cruz.
Isaiah Africano, who played NCAA Division III basketball with Pacific University, is also scheduled to play for Guam after applying for the PBA Season 50 Draft, but was not picked by a team.
“They are going to be tough. They are going to be tough at home, and we all have to understand that. That’s one of the messages that we’re trying to send to our team. They actually made it past the first round in the Asia Cup by beating Syria, and Syria is not a bad team,” said Cone.
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