Gilas Pilipinas has its back against the wall—again!
Then again, when has Philippine basketball ever liked doing things the easy way?
Our kababayans enter Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers with a precarious 2-4 record and two very important home games staring them in the face—Jordan on Aug. 28 and Iran on Aug. 30 on home turf at the Mall of Asia Arena, which is already a big sigh of relief.
Translation?
Just win, baby, and make sure you come to the games as Gilas and not Galis.
Forget style points. Forget moral victories. Forget the usual “we learned a lot from this game” spiel.
At 2-4, Gilas needs Ws and lots of them. OK, two, but who’s really counting—tens of millions of basketball-deranged Pinoys, apparently.
Call them two basketball miracles if you want.
And if the basketball gods are listening, perhaps we can ask for a third one later.
The good news is the cavalry has arrived, and the biggest reinforcement happens to stand 7-foot-3.
Kai Sotto is back.
The 24-year-old big man joined Gilas practice Monday, and coach Tim Cone couldn't hide his excitement, calling Sotto a “game-changer.”
Me thinks Cone isn't exaggerating, as the son of former Ginebra cager Ervin Sotto changes everything for Gilas.
For years, we've complained that our national team was too small against Asia's giants. Well, nobody can call a frontline featuring the 7’3” Sotto, 6’10” June Mar Fajardo, and 6’10” AJ Edu small.
That's a lot of beef—and length—in the paint.
Sotto, in particular, has something to prove.
We've spent years talking about his NBA dream, his potential, his height, his upside, and what he could eventually become.
Now I want to see what he can become for Gilas.
Block shots. Grab rebounds. Run the floor. Finish lobs. Make opposing guards think twice before venturing into the paint.
In short, be the “G” in Gilas.
Beside him is the old reliable, Fajardo.
“Abay” isn't a nine-time PBA MVP for nothing, although, to be fair, his international play lately hasn't exactly matched his PBA dominance.
Some players would be happy making the Mythical Five once. Fajardo probably needs a separate room at home just for his MVP trophies.
But this window carries extra meaning for the 36-year-old Cebuano giant, who has indicated that his Gilas days are nearing their end.
If this is indeed one of Abay's last dances for flag and country, wouldn't it be fitting for Sotto to be standing beside him?
One giant slowly passing the torch to another.
Of course, size alone won't save Gilas.
Justin Brownlee remains the heart and soul of this team.
JB has rescued Gilas so many times that Filipino basketball fans probably expect him to part Manila Bay next.
But Brownlee needs to be healthy.
He battled physical issues during the previous window and missed the 92-49 loss to Australia. A refreshed Brownlee alongside Sotto gives Cone two weapons that can dramatically change the complexion of these games.
Then there's the backcourt.
Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos will inevitably hear whispers that they're Cone's boys because they play for Barangay Ginebra.
That's Philippine basketball for you.
Lose one game and suddenly everybody on Facebook is Phil Jackson.
But Thompson and Abarrientos have a perfect opportunity to silence the noise.
Scottie brings rebounding, defense, hustle, and all those little things that don't always appear in the box score. RJ brings shooting, speed, and swagger.
Now prove you belong.
Same goes for Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Edu, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Troy Rosario, and everybody else who eventually makes the final 12.
No passengers, please.
Jordan comes first, and Gilas knows this opponent well.
The Philippines owns a narrow 5-4 edge in the nine meetings listed by FIBA, but Filipino fans remember one Jordan game above all others.
Gilas beat Jordan, 70-60, in the 2023 Asian Games final to win the country's first men's basketball gold medal in the Asiad in 61 years.
Brownlee scored 20 points that night.
More of the same, JB.
Iran two days later will be an even bigger headache.
Historically, Iran has been one of Philippine basketball's tormentors, especially during the Hamed Haddadi era when the Iranians routinely punished smaller Filipino frontlines.
But Haddadi isn't walking through that MOA Arena door.
And this time Gilas can throw Sotto, Fajardo, and Edu at Iran.
That's why I'm particularly intrigued by this matchup.
Iran is 5-1 and Gilas is 2-4.
On paper, Iran should be favored, but basketball isn't played on paper.
Me thinks Gilas can beat them.
And while Cone prepares his World Cup qualifying squad, another group is preparing for the Asian Games in Nagoya next month. With overseas-based players unavailable for the Asiad, Cone and his staff are looking at an expanded PBA contingent featuring the likes of Sedrick Barefield, Brandon Bates, Jordan Heading, Robert Bolick, Justin Arana, and others.
That's for later.
Right now, Jordan and Iran are the only things that matter.
Both games are at home, and both are winnable.
And both could determine whether Gilas remains firmly in the hunt for Qatar 2027 or spends the next window bringing out calculators, studying tiebreakers, and asking the basketball gods for favors.
Hay naku, please spare us the mathematics.
Pack the MOA Arena. Make Jordan uncomfortable and, two days later, make Iran even more uncomfortable.
Give Sotto a proper welcome home and give Abay the kind of sendoff he deserves if this really is nearing the end of his Gilas journey.
The road to Qatar remains steep.
But with Sotto back, Brownlee healthy, Fajardo still answering the call, and thousands of screaming Filipinos behind them, Gilas has no excuses.
Two games. Two wins. Two miracles.
Ano ba yan, Gilas. Just win, baby.
And if the basketball gods somehow grant us those two miracles, maybe our kababayans can ask for one more favor: Please make Manila’s floodwaters disappear, too.
Now that would be a three-game sweep.
