Gilas heads to South Korea for tune-up games before Asian Games title defense

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 02, 2026

Photo courtesy: Fast Break Gaming TV

Gilas Pilipinas is heading to South Korea for two tune-up games as it enters the final stage of preparation for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.

The national team is scheduled to leave Manila for Seoul on Wednesday, September 2. Gilas will play the South Korean national team in Suwon on Friday and Sunday before flying directly to Japan.

The games will give coach Tim Cone a chance to test a new-look Gilas squad before the Philippines begins its Asian Games title defense.

The current group includes Robert Bolick, Adrian Nocum, Don Trollano, Brandon Bates, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, RJ Abarrientos, Justin Arana, Justine Baltazar, Sedrick Barefield, Jerrick Ahanmisi and Zavier Lucero.

Cone said naturalized player Justin Brownlee could still join the team, but his participation has not been confirmed. Brownlee has been recovering from leg and hamstring injuries that kept him out of Gilas’ recent FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers games against Jordan and Iran.

Meanwhile, Jason Perkins has been ruled out because of injury.

Only Abarrientos, Arana and Baltazar from the recent FIBA qualifying pool are joining the Asian Games squad. The rest of the lineup gives Cone a largely different group for the continental tournament.

The Asian Games team began training in Pasig two weeks ago under assistant coaches Richard del Rosario, Jong Uichico and Josh Reyes while Cone focused on the FIBA qualifiers.

The squad also played two scrimmages against the FIBA team and split the two games.

Gilas will enter the Asian Games as the defending men’s basketball champion after winning gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. That victory ended the Philippines’ 61-year wait for an Asian Games men’s basketball gold medal.

The Philippines is in Group C with China, Bahrain and Kazakhstan.

According to the official Asian Games schedule, Gilas will open against Bahrain on September 11, followed by Kazakhstan on September 12 and China on September 14.

The men’s basketball competition begins on September 10, ahead of the official opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

For Gilas, the two games in South Korea will serve as an important final test before the team begins its bid for back-to-back Asian Games gold medals.