GILAS PILIPINAS WINS OVER GUAM AGAIN - AND THOUGHTS ON JAPETH AND OTHER THINGS
- Syd Salazar
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
I’ll be honest—I barely watched the second Gilas Pilipinas vs. Guam game. I caught the opening minutes, fell asleep somewhere in the middle, and woke up just in time for the closing stretch… without my glasses. I basically relied on Carlo Pamintuan and Larry Fonacier’s commentary to get me through the ending, even with the result already decided.
Still, I picked up a few things.
First, I heard this was supposed to be Japeth Aguilar’s final game with Gilas. I’ve heard this rumor so many times now that I’m taking it with a grain of salt. I’ll probably write a separate piece about it. But really—what a journey for Japeth. From an erratic kid with freakish athletic gifts to a respected elder statesman. He’s actually the only Gilas player I’ve ever taken a photo with. And honestly? He’s welcome to come back any time we’re short on big men. The fact that he might end his Gilas run at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym feels poetic.
Speaking of the Blue Eagle Gym... I LOVE IT. I hate to even think this, but shouldn’t this and the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion be considered as PBA venues? I don’t know if Ateneo wants outsiders on campus regularly, but the gym looks great, especially with that domed roof. It’s also more commuter-friendly than Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Araneta’s biggest advantage is the MRT station right beside it. Sure, there’s no direct EDSA-to-Katipunan route, but the commute is still more manageable, and there are malls nearby.
The only reason I’m hesitant?
The traffic.
Late-afternoon games plus students going home equals headache.
Especially on a Friday.
Ugh.
Anyway, after that blowout win in Guam, it’s hard to gauge where we really stand heading into the “megafights” in February. We’ve never beaten Australia, and honestly, I don’t see us beating New Zealand without Kai Sotto or another dominant interior presence. That’s why I like having other options beyond Kaiju, June Mar Fajardo, and AJ Edu. Quentin Millora-Brown is a terrific find, and if we’re not getting the TNT version of Calvin Abueva, we’ll need QMB even more—especially if this really is the start of the transition away from Japeth.
Justin Brownlee remains our top guy, and Dwight Ramos is our solid No. 2 scorer. I love how Kevin Quiambao is emerging as a spark off the bench. What surprised me was Carl Tamayo playing only five minutes. He needs to be our next Ranidel De Ocampo—or at least the Chot Reyes version of Troy Rosario. But he still can’t translate his KBL game to the international stage, and even his KBL team, the Changwon LG Sakers, has noted this. I feel like playing alongside his PBA idols with the Philippine flag on his chest still overwhelms him a bit. But he’s a long-term Gilas mainstay, which is why Tamayo really needs to level up soon.
RJ Abarrientos was the only player who didn’t score and the only one with a negative plus-minus. If that spot is truly open, Tim Cone should test Juan Gomez de Liano in February. QMB needs to be a lock even when Kai returns. So the last slot might come down to Oftana, Abarrientos, and Juan GDL. And the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Juan’s exclusion is really just Cone hiding his game from the Aussies. Sure, he barely played in Lithuania, but he’s practiced against tall, physical Europeans—he might not get rattled by the Boomers at all.
The important thing is that we beat Guam and secured our spot in the next round.
Good.
But we also need to figure out how to fight back against our Oceania rivals. As I always say, we have to let Tim Cone and his Gilas boys cook. We can make noise online, but at the end of the day, he’s the one accountable. And I’m sure he’s working on solutions to this puzzle.
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