IT'S going to be one hell of a week for Gilas Pilipinas.
The national team under coach Tim Cone will embark on a five-day training camp in Doha, Qatar that features a three-game friendly, before proceeding to its campaign in the final leg of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
Cone said Gilas is set to leave for the West Asian country on Feb. 13 and then goes right into action the following day when it tangles with the Qatar national team to kick off the Doha International Friendly Basketball Championship.
"It's really going to be a quick trip. Just friendlies, basic exhibition games," he said of the mini-tournament that also features the national teams of Lebanon and Egypt.
After the meet, the team returns to Manila for a brief respite before travelling to Chinese Taipei for the Asia Cup qualifier against the host team on Feb. 20, and then proceed to Auckland for its Feb. 23 rematch with New Zealand.
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"It's going to be really tough. It's going to be really hard on the players, all the travel going to Doha back to Manila, and then to Taiwan and then over to Hong Kong I think it is, and then down to Auckland," said Cone of the itinerary that awaits Gilas in the coming weeks.
"I mean we'll be doing a lot of travel in about less than eight or nine day-time. But we wanted hard. That's the whole point because this is about prep," Cone added.
Gilas is already qualified to the Asian Cup tournament proper to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from August 5-17.
Cone said the team is using the Doha trip and the last leg of the qualifier as part of its training and preparation for the meet formerly known as the FIBA Asia Men's Championship.
"Honestly, if we were not qualified, then probably we wouldn't do the Doha trip because we would focus on Taiwan and New Zealand and try to make sure that we play our best during those games. But we are qualified, and so we're not concerned so much about the qualification now as much as we are concerned about the actual FIBA Asia tournament," Cone added.
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Gilas is on top of Group B with a perfect 4-0 record that included wins over Chinese Taipei, 106-53, held at the Philsports Arena, and a 93-89 breakthrough against the Tall Blacks at the Mall of Asia Arena. (RG)
