Gilas Pilipinas To Play Macau Black Bears At The Smart-Araneta Coliseum
(Press Release)
Gilas Pilipinas Men will play a tune-up match against the Macau Black Bears on July 28 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum as part of their preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
The match will also serve as a send-off for the Philippine team before they leave for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Gilas is grouped with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq for the first round, and a match against the Black Bears, who will be featuring locals from Macau, mixed heritage players, and imports, will help coach Tim Cone and the rest of the team in their preparations.
“Playing tuneup games before Gilas dives into the FIBA Asia Cup will only help the team out,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Al Panlilio.
“While the team gets good competition, it’s also an opportunity for our Gilas fans to band together and send their team off before they fly out to Saudi Arabia. It’s a short preparation window as many of our players saw action in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup, which was another reason why the SBP wanted Gilas to have a tuneup game here.”
The Black Bears are not new to playing tuneup matches against national teams, as they faced-off against China last year.
“They beat the Chinese national team. They are really strong. They’ve got good imports. It could be a very interesting friendly for us,” Cone said about the 83-78 win for the club team last July.
The Macau Black Bears were founded in 2017, then competing under the name Chong Son Kung Fu and playing in the ASEAN Basketball League. They now compete in the East Asia Super League and in The Asian Tournament led by head coach Garrett Kelly.
Gilas Pilipinas will employ their full lineup against the Black Bears but will continue to play without Kai Sotto, who is still recovering from his ACL injury. They are hoping for a better showing compared to their ninth-place finish in the last edition of the FIBA Asia Cup.
Tickets are now available via https://www.ticketnet.com.ph/