00:00Our sports banter is hosted by PTV Sports, the head coach of GILAS PILIPINAS, Tim Cohn,
00:06where he shared some updates about the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in the Philippines.
00:14Let's watch this.
00:16GILAS PILIPINAS IS READY TO FIGHT IN THE FIBA ASIA CUP QUALIFIERS 2025
00:30In an exclusive interview with PTV Sports with GILAS PILIPINAS Head Coach Tim Cohn,
00:35he admitted that they will be a close match and that they are well-prepared.
00:42Well, you know, it's something we've been trying to build from the first window to the OQT
00:51and now under this other window with New Zealand and Hong Kong.
00:56By keeping the groups together, by keeping the players together,
01:00you know, they learn more and more as they practice together and then as they get game experience together.
01:05And so, we're hoping to elevate their game.
01:08Coach Tim also emphasized that the support of each player is important to show teamwork.
01:15This is also the reason behind the return of naturalized player Ange Cuame in the lineup.
01:20It's important that we keep Ange ready in case something happens to Justin so he can step in right away.
01:29We don't want him to not know the system.
01:31Let's say something happens to Justin during one of our practices or like the day before or the two days before the game
01:38and suddenly Ange has to step in and play.
01:42He doesn't understand the system. He doesn't know where he's supposed to be.
01:46But if he's part of the preparation and he knows, you know, seeing the video, doing the practices,
01:52then he'll be ready to step in in a moment's notice.
01:55And that's the key is we want him to be able to step in in a moment's notice.
01:59In the meantime, you know, he is such a good person and he always plays hard.
02:06He's always ready. He practices really hard.
02:09He's going to elevate and enhance our practices and make Junmar better, make Kai better, make the other players better around him.
02:18The 66-year-old mentor has a lot of confidence that his team is ready,
02:24especially after the PBA Finals and their momentum in the game.
02:29They're going to be in good shape because they've been playing.
02:32It's not like we're taking a break and then suddenly making them play.
02:37You know, they'll be in good game shape.
02:40So we don't have to worry about that. We don't have to try to keep them in shape.
02:43They're already in shape. So that allows us to focus more on the teaching and the execution
02:51and the preparation that we have against the other teams.
02:56And, you know, you have to play when you're in the finals.
03:01You have to play at a really, really high level.
03:03So, you know, these guys have already gotten used to playing at a high level.
03:07So they're going to be able to bring that high level into the,
03:10into hopefully this game that we're going to play against New Zealand and Hong Kong.
03:14According to the coach of the National Men's Basketball Team,
03:18it's an advantage to have young guns in their team.
03:22Yeah, we have, well, we have Kai still a very young player, believe it or not, Kai Soto.
03:28AJ is young. Kevin is young, obviously. Mason Amos is young.
03:33Carl Tamayo is still very young. So we have a young core.
03:37And that is the core we are trying to build to be the headliners, you know,
03:44two years from now, three years from now.
03:46And it's important that we keep kind of a pipeline going between the young and the older players.
03:53In the meantime, you know, Kai is, even though he's young,
03:56he's one of our stars on the team, you know.
03:58So, and Kevin and Carl have so much potential.
04:03And they improve so rapidly that they could step in and be a star at any moment.
04:08So that young core is very crucial to what we're hoping to build in the future.
04:20I don't really have that hard of a time.
04:23You know, it's not like I have to do a, teach a whole new system or, you know,
04:29these, again, these guys that we have, you know,
04:32we've already had access together in the first window and the second window.
04:37So it's not like it's, it's, it's a, you know, a whole new process that we have to go through.
04:42It's really a continuing process.
04:45The system that we run at Inebra is very similar to the system that we run in Gila's.
04:51And, you know, I have some Inebra players that help me teach as well.
04:56And I got a great coaching staff that's there.
05:01And it's just a joy to be with the Gila's players.
05:04I mean, they're, they're, it's a really fun team because the chemistry is really tight.
05:09And there's, there's, you know, there's not a such,
05:13there's no such thing as a superstar feeling amongst the players.
05:16They all know that they are stars.
05:18They're all very comfortable with themselves.
05:21And I think they really put the country first.
05:24And so it makes it very easy to coach them.
05:28I don't have a lot of stress.
05:31The only stress we have is the winning and losing.
05:33But, you know, the daily interaction with the players, it's, they're a joy to coach.
05:40The powerhouse country of New Zealand will face Gila's Philippines in the second window,
05:46which will be held on November 21.
05:49Next on November 24, the country of Hong Kong will face it.
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