MANILA, Philippines – Having a bigger pool seems like the way to go as Gilas Pilipinas continues to deal with the absences of key players due to injuries.

Yet head coach Tim Cone still thinks it’s better for the national men’s basketball team to stick with a 12-man roster.

“We’re not going to expand the pool. Because of the short preparation time we have, the teaching part of the team is much harder when you have a big pool,” said Cone in a press conference on Monday, July 15.

“That is what the program is all about. That is why we decided to go with a smaller pool because the teaching is less and it has to be because the preparation time is less.”

“We’re going to stay with 12 guys.”

Cone feels it is “unwieldy” and “difficult” to bring in additional pool players with only a short window to learn his system before every contest.

In the previous FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament which saw the Philippines exceed expectations by reaching the semifinals, Cone and the team trained for just less than two weeks before they played their first game.

For Cone, keeping an intact lineup fosters chemistry and continuity, which will benefit the squad in the long run as the Philippines shoots for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Doha, Qatar, and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.

“I would prefer to have a bigger pool. I would prefer to have a longer preparation time. Any coach would,” said Cone. “It is just not feasible. So we have to work with what we have.”

Cone said unfamiliarity resulted in Mason Amos’ benching in the OQT.

Along with veteran Japeth Aguilar, Amos joined the national team for the OQT to fill the spots of injured mainstays AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo, but the incoming La Salle forward ended up not playing in their three games.

“One of the reasons we did not play Mason was because he was new to the team and we did not really get him into the system well enough,” said Cone.

But Cone said they have players in mind who would be worthy replacements if the national team runs into personnel woes.

The Philippines tried to bring in Jordan Heading for the OQT after Scottie Thompson got ruled out due to a back injury, but the Filipino-Australian guard begged off due to a family matter.

“We talked to a number of guys and they know they’re on the list. They know that we could call them at any time, and if they’re available, they would play,” said Cone.

“But we’re not going to keep asking a whole bunch of guys to come to our practice and travel with us.”

Gilas Pilipinas returns to action in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in November as it battles Hong Kong and New Zealand in a pair of home games. – Rappler.com