GILAS Pilipinas just proved they can win without naturalized star Justin Brownlee during the recent FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Now, they must prove it all over again with an entirely new cast as they prepare for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
Coming off a massive sweep of the fourth window—edging Jordan (82-81) and throttling Iran (68-56) at the SM Mall of Asia Arena—Gilas showed tremendous resilience.
But as the national team prepares to defend its Asian Games gold medal starting September 10, head coach Tim Cone faces a major roster overhaul.
Overseas-based standouts like Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, and AJ Edu are unavailable due to their professional commitments in the B.League and KBL.
Furthermore, Brownlee seems to be out of the Asiad team, with Calvin Oftana being confirmed by Cone as the 12th man in the squad.
READ: Oftana officially Gilas' 12th man for Asian Games title defense
To fill the massive void, Gilas is parading an all-PBA crew.
The squad will be led by recent FIBA window frontcourt pieces Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana, alongside guard RJ Abarrientos.
Joining them are local stars Robert Bolick, Sedrick Barefield, Zavier Lucero, Don Trollano, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Adrian Nocum, Brandon Bates, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
Despite losing the core that anchored the recent FIBA window sweep, the belief in Gilas Pilipinas remains absolute.
Official sportsbook partner ArenaPlus revealed that its user base never wavered in backing the national team, a trend expected to continue as the team heads to Nagoya.
During the previous window, 74.4 percent of users picked the Philippines over Jordan, and 71.1 percent wagered on a win against Iran, even without Brownlee.
"The numbers reflect the confidence of Filipino fans in Gilas and their belief that the team can find a way to win, whoever is on the floor," said Ethan William, Head of ArenaPlus.
As the newly formed All-PBA squad gears up for its preliminary round clash in Group C against Bahrain, Kazakhstan, and China, ArenaPlus users are ready to double down on their homegrown heroes.
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