MANILA, Philippines — Nothing went right for Gilas Pilipinas in its 92-49 beating at the hands of world powerhouse Australia Monday at the close of the Window 3 of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers in Perth.
Well nothing, except for the energetic effort put up by former UAAP star Mike Phillips, who came away with six points and 14 rebounds in just his second game with Gilas since being classified as a local by FIBA.
The 2025 UAAP Finals Most Valuable Player’s outstanding effort didn’t go unnoticed by Gilas coach Tim Cone.
“He was one of the bright lights for us tonight. He was doing great, especially in the first half. He was rebounding the heck out of the ball. And just playing. His nickname is ‘Motor Mike’ and there’s a reason for that,” said Cone during the post-game talk with the media.
The 6-8 Phillips logged 24 and a half minutes in the game, patrolling the shaded lane with veteran Gilas big man June Mar Fajardo, who tallied eight points, six rebounds and four assists.
“He plays with such a tremendous motor. And he’s all over the floor.” Banging bodies with athletic, bigger Boomers, Phillips showed his athleticism and youthful zest, to the delight of s good-sized Filipino community that came out to support Gilas at the RAC Arena in Perth.
Phillips eventually suffered cramps late in the game, but this, Cone said, has had to do with the ankle injury he sustained during the first of the two friendly games Gilas had last week.“He got hurt in one of our friendlies coming to this game, so he’s playing with a gimpy ankle, and then he got hit by cramps late in the game, so we couldn’t keep him on the floor,” explained Cone.
But given the intangibles the former La Salle standout brings into the team, there seems to be no doubt that Gilas adds another young player to its core.
For one, the 68-year-old Cone likes the energetic Phillips, describing his ways as “infectious.”“He’s a young guy and he plays with so much enthusiasm. He’s very, very infectious and tonight it was less visible because of the score,” said Cone, who come September, will be leading the Philippines’ title defense of its Asian Games men’s basketball crown in Nagoya, Japan.
“But I think that’s just something that our fans are going to really appreciate as we move forward, watching him play with that kind of effort, and then watching the other guys get infected by it and continuing to play,” he added.
The Philippines slumped to its fourth straight loss at the close of the first round, but the national squad is already assured of a berth in the next round.
Gilas is bunched with Australia, New Zealand, along with West Asian squads Iran, Jordan and Syria in Group E.
The Filipinos will be seeing action on August 28 against Jordan, with the SM Mall of Asia Arena as their possible venue.
