Manila: The Philippine men's basketball team warms up for its campaign in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers as it undergoes a weeklong training camp in Brisbane, Australia. Gilas Pilipinas left on Tuesday afternoon, with coach Tim Cone leading his 12-man roster. He will be assisted by deputies Jong Uichico, Sean Chambers, and LA Tenorio.

According to Philippines News Agency, Coach Cone mentioned on Monday night during the open workout for fans at Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan City, 'We'll be there (Brisbane) for four days before we proceed to New Zealand.' Gilas will play two friendlies on June 28 and 29, one of them against National Basketball League team Brisbane Bullets, who are helping the Filipinos prepare for their road games against the New Zealand Tall Blacks and Australia Boomers.

Brisbane Bullets are providing facilities to assist Gilas in acclimating to the cold weather, stated Cone. With the exception of Kevin Quiambao, who didn't join the team in the workout due to a personal matter, the rest of the 11 players showed up, including new members Mike Philips, Justin Baltazar, Troy Rosario, and Juan Gomez De Liano, who took the spot of the injured Scottie Thompson. Completing the lineup are Justin Brownlee, RJ Abarrientos, Chris Newsome, June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, and Dwight Ramos.

Carrying a 2-2 record in Group A and already assured of a berth in the second round of the qualifiers, Gilas takes on New Zealand on July 3, then flies to Australia for its July 6 game. Australia currently leads the group with a 4-0 record, New Zealand is tied with the Philippines at 2-2, and Guam is at the rear with a 0-4 slate.

Source: National News Agency Nepal