Gilas Pilipinas has been drawn into Group D of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, where the battle for continental supremacy ignites in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from Aug. 5 to 17.
Currently ranked 34th in the world, Philippines will look to improve on its 9th-place finish from the previous Asia Cup held in Indonesia. But the path to redemption won't be easy, with Gilas set to face familiar foes from recent campaigns.
Grouped once again with New Zealand and Chinese Taipei -- teams they previously faced in the qualifiers -- Gilas enters the tournament looking to settle the score. Their past meetings were anything but routine, with both opponents pushing the national team to its limits.
Against the Tall Blacks, Gilas made history in November 2024 by defeating New Zealand for the first time ever in a FIBA-sanctioned tournament. However, their follow-up encounter told a different story. With star big man Kai Sotto sidelined, Philippines fell 87-70 in a game that exposed the value of their missing centerpiece.
Meanwhile, Gilas opened its qualifying campaign in dominant fashion with a 106-53 blowout of Chinese Taipei at home. But revenge came swift, as Chinese Taipei handed Philippines its first loss of the qualifiers, 91-84, snapping what had been a 4-0 start.
Completing Group D is Iraq, the final team to qualify for the Asia Cup. This marks Iraq's return to the tournament for the first time since 2017 -- the same year they last faced Gilas, who emerged victorious in that encounter 84-68.
Should Gilas make it past the group stage, the journey only intensifies.
The top team in each group will earn an outright ticket to the quarterfinals, while the second and third seeds must battle through a qualification round to join the final eight. From there, the winners of the quarterfinals will advance to the semifinals with a shot at the coveted championship.
For now, what we all know about Philippines is they will stick with the core roster head coach Tim Cone has formed since taking over the job. That also means Gilas will have to figure out how to get back on the winning track without Kai Sotto, as they went 0-2 in the final window of the Asia Cup qualifiers.
Another hindrance to Gilas will be the availability of naturalized player Justin Brownlee.
Not only is he currently recuperating from a thumb injury sustained in the recent PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals with Ginebra, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is awaiting for FIBA's decision on Brownlee for being positive in a random drug test for using a banned substance -- the same situation he was in back in 2023.