2026 ASIAN GAMES | GILAS PILIPINAS VS KAZAKHSTAN | THE CONFIDENCE-BOOSTING WIN
It felt like Gilas Pilipinas was content with just a win. After all, it seemed like they just needed to brace for a Chinese onslaught, especially after China administered a 105–59 beating to Bahrain. The triple threat of Jakarr Sampson, Mustafa Rashed, and Elijah Thomas went from scoring 64 points against us to a combined 34 against China.
More importantly, China is going to face us with an average winning margin of 42 points.
It would have been better if Gilas had just evaluated our game, checked the kinks, and rested the players we needed.
But Kazakhstan has always been a thorn in our side.
Most of our matches against them since they joined the Asian Games have been close, and while Gilas was the better team, Kazakhstan was hell-bent on putting up a fight.
In fact, up until the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter, our lead fluctuated between a high of 18 and a low of 11. Kazakhstan played physically, and it took a Robert Bolick barrage in the second quarter to build that double-digit lead.
But in the final seven minutes, Gilas gave its fans the wet-dream moment we had all been craving. Gilas suddenly found its three-point shooting and went wild, scorching the net.
Well, because the Kazakhs played physically, Gilas was forced to take outside shots. But unlike in the first game, when it was just Calvin Oftana, this time, the guards were online.
Robert Bolick took over, shamelessly letting his triples fly. The same can be said of Sedrick Barefield, although his over-dribbling was an eyesore. There was a time when Zavier Lucero almost passed him the ball, but then passed it to the other side because he knew that once Barefield got the ball, his next reaction would be either to take an ill-advised shot or go for an errant drive to the basket.
I mean, Barefield had a better game, but he still needs to improve on his combined 4-of-19 shooting clip.
And then, Jerrick Ahanmisi happened.
I felt like Ahanmisi was the de facto 12th man of the team. However, Ahanmisi came into the game with a mission and went 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. We have seen Ahanmisi do this with Terrafirma, but it was awesome to see him do it in this kind of environment.
And I don't know if this is enough to beat China, but combining the three-point shot with our interior defense is something that could at least make that match respectable.
But in order to win, I think Gilas needs to lessen its turnovers and create an offense in which everyone can at least touch the ball. Either that, or make sure they create scoring opportunities that result in sure-fire baskets.
Because here's the thing: I don't know if Barefield, Ahanmisi, and even Brandon Bates will play important minutes for the squad.
Don't get me wrong. Bates did well as a towering presence in the paint. Clearly, his defensive attributes would make him vital against China.
However, China is more or less fielding its main squad, and this time, I can see Tim Cone running the show front and center, instead of Richard del Rosario. I’m guessing Oftana, Bolick, Justine Baltazar, Justin Arana, RJ Abarrientos, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Adrian Nocum will play more minutes compared to their Kazakhstan showing.
I mean, even Oftana, who still played 25 minutes, kind of acted as a decoy for most of the game. Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana, like BGR, also played sparingly, with Oftana at one point playing the PF spot.
Yes, Zhou Qi and Yang Hansen, along with a couple of their main men, aren't in the lineup, but Li Yuezhou is the only player in the squad who hasn't played in the FIBA Asia Qualifiers.
They even have their former NBA guy, Jacky Cui, on their roster.
China hasn't been as dominant as it once was for some time now, but it fielded a lineup that not only does it believe could win a gold medal, but also one that has to make sure it doesn't lose three in a row against us.
But again, hopefully, this core, along with a couple of PBA add-ons, could make up a permanent talent pool because, aside from talent, this team is in dire need of exposure.
Anyway, the Kazakhstan game is a good confidence booster for Gilas Pilipinas. Hopefully, we find the same success against China. There is a reason why this is a marquee match, and it's not just because of our on-court rivalry.
THE GILAS BOXSCORES
GILAS PILIPINAS DEFEATS KAZAKHSTAN | 109 - 78
PLAYER | MP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | 3PM |
AHANMISI | 19 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 7 |
BOLICK | 16 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 4 |
OFTANA | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
BAREFIELD | 26 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 3 |
LUCERO | 27 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
BALTAZAR | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
ARANA | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
ABARRIENTOS | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
TROLLANO | 15 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
GANUELAS-ROSSER | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
NOCUM | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
BATES | 17 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
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