NEWSOME EXPECTS GILAS TO BE HIGHLY MOTIVATED AFTER RECENT RESULTS

SHORTLY after their campaign with Meralco in the EASL ended on Wednesday, Chris Newsome and Justin Brownlee already had conversations about their upcoming campaign with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.

The two had no qualms that the coming window will be a difficult one as they go up against highly-ranked teams at home, when it battles world No. 25 New Zealand on February 26, and world No. 6 Australia on March 1 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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"Me and JB, we were talking about it. It's going to be a tough window for sure," said Newsome to SPIN.ph.

Fortunately for Gilas Pilipinas, they already have recent experiences playing against the two squads heading into Window 2, and Newsome said they will look to draw something out of it in order to have a better chance at beating the Tall Blacks and the Boomers.

Gilas Pilipinas played against New Zealand numerous times over the years, including a victory at home last November 2024 at the Mall of Asia Arena in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

Other than that, however, the Tall Blacks always had Gilas' number, including in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 group stage when they were beaten by eight points, 94-86, in Jeddah.

Gilas was also routed by Australia, 84-60, in the quarterfinals of the same tournament in Saudi Arabia.

"Looking forward to getting those guys together, and remembering what happened in the Asia Cup and using that as extra motivation as we move into these games," said Newsome.

Newsome said he is healthy for the coming window after recovering from an MCL sprain in his left knee that he sustained during Meralco’s battle in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against TNT.

2026-02-14T12:15:05Z