Gilas needs to have 'next man up' mentality

Gilas needs to have 'next man up' mentality

JUSTIN Brownlee knows that time is of the essence as the Philippine men's basketball team tries to make use of its short window of preparation before plunging into action next week in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.

The national squad has spent the past few days working on its team chemistry as well as the system being laid down by Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone in Istanbul, Turkey.

And despite losing three key players from the pool due to injuries, Brownlee is confident that Japeth Aguilar and Ateneo big man Mason Amos can step up to the challenge.

"We'll take it one day at a time. We have like 10 days or so and we have to play at a high level, but we can't jump and get there right away," Brownlee said on Monday night, shortly after Gilas Pilipinas defeated the Taiwan Mustangs, 74-64, in a friendly game at the PhilSports Arena.

The 36-year-old Gilas naturalized player recognized the fact that the absence of injured guard Scottie Thompson, forward Jamie Malonzo and center AJ Edu is considered a big blow for the Philippine team.

"Those three guys bring a lot to the table that will definitely hurt," said Brownlee, who led the Philippines to back-to-back wins over Hong Kong and Taiwan during the kickoff window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers last February.

"But we have Mason, and of course Japeth, who's been with Gilas for years. He's got a lot of experience. Sometimes you just have to have the next man up [mentality]. So Mason, Japeth, other guys [are] stepping up to fill that role," he added.

Gilas Pilipinas played Turkey early Friday morning (Manila time) in the first of its two friendly games in Europe.

Gilas will also face Poland this weekend.

"They (Turkey and Poland) are tough tasks for us. But a great preparation for (us versus) Latvia and Georgia," he said. "Definitely it will be a great learning experience for us and kind of measure where we are yet."

Gilas is bracketed with Latvia, ranked sixth in the world, and Georgia, ranked 23rd, in Group A in the FIBA OQT.

The 37th ranked Philippines plays Latvia on July 4, 12 a.m. (Manila time), before closing its group match against Georgia, also on July 4 at 10:30 p.m. (Manila time).