Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who is also the head mentor for Gilas Pilipinas, during a PBA Philippine Cup semifinals game against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Despite a busy schedule in the middle of the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs, Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone confirmed that there will be a training session for Gilas Pilipinas on Monday.
Almost immediately after the Gin Kings forced a Game 7 against the Beermen on Sunday at Araneta Coliseum, Cone said the national team will hold a practice 24 hours later to begin preparations for the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup.
READ: PBA: June Mar Fajardo eyes rest, recovery but Gilas duties await
The problem, however, lies with player availability. In fact, Cone said he’s still unsure who will actually show up for the two-hour session.
“We have our first practice tomorrow and I don’t even know who’s showing up yet,” Cone said after Ginebra’s thrilling 88-87 win over San Miguel.
Coach Tim Cone confirms there will be a Gilas practice tomorrow, Monday.
In the same day, he’ll also hold practice for Ginebra which will play San Miguel on Wednesday for Game 7. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/fxhWVZXjOp
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) July 6, 2025
“I know that KQ (Kevin Quiambao) is in the States with Sacramento, Justine (Brownlee) is arriving on Tuesday morning, same with AJ (Edu), so we’ll see who shows up.”
READ: Gilas Pilipinas set for tune-up vs Macau ahead of Fiba Asia Cup
Aside from Quiambao, Brownlee, and Edu, Carl Tamayo and Dwight Ramos are expected to attend the Gilas training camp but their availability for Monday remains uncertain.
Many of Cone’s core players for Gilas are still competing in the PBA’s all-Filipino conference, but that may not pose too much of a challenge—at least for now.
“It’s not going to be a heavy, long practice, obviously. I’m not even sure if everybody’s going to show up, including the guys in the playoffs,” said the veteran tactician.
“We got a Game 7 on Wednesday so asking our guys to practice is kind of hard… so I’ll tell San Miguel to practice and give our guys a break,” Cone added in jest.
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Still in PBA playoff action are Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Troy Rosario, and Japeth Aguilar, TNT’s Calvin Oftana, and San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez.
Fajardo and Perez are set to face Cone and the Gin Kings in a crucial Game 7 on Wednesday—just two days after the planned Gilas scrimmage.