Gilas Pilipinas Young Core Seen as Key to Long-Term Success, Says Coach Tim Cone

During a send-off dinner held last Monday night at the VIP Lounge of the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas, Pasig, Gilas Pilipinas' young prospects—Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and Kevin Quiambao—shared a lighthearted moment amid preparations for the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Close by, National Coach Tim Cone expressed optimism about the team’s future if this core remains intact. He drew parallels between the group and Iran's Hamed Haddadi-led team that dominated Asian basketball throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.

"That's the sense (bright future) we have with all of these guys. Kai's 24. We got Kevin, who's still 25 or 24. Carl's 24. I mean, we still got some really young guys that have not even approached their prime yet and you usually don't approach your prime as a basketball player until you're about 29 or 30," Cone remarked. "So, imagine how good they can be if they stick together and play together over a set of years. Not just a set of windows but a set of years. Imagine how good this team can be."

He further added, "It kind of reminds me of the old Iran team. If you remember with Haddadi and that whole group that stayed together for like seven, eight, nine years and they just started dominating Asia after a while and they were going to all the big tournaments around the world because they were qualifying in everything."

The quartet—Sotto, Ramos, Tamayo, and Quiambao—have all been named by Cone to the final 12-man roster. They are scheduled to face Jericho Cruz and the Guam team in Group A action tomorrow at the UOG Calvo Field House in Guam.

Following that, Gilas Pilipinas is set for a rematch against Guam on December 1 at the Blue Eagle Gym.

For Coach Cone, the emphasis remains on building a cohesive, long-term unit rather than focusing solely on immediate results.