Gilas Pilipinas’ AJ Edu. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Gilas Pilipinas hosts a higher-ranked New Zealand next week in the second window of the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers, and there will be a big chance it will do so without one of its promising young big men.

But that, and the fact that the Kiwis are a higher ranked squad, hasn’t fazed national coach Tim Cone one bit.

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“They’re a tough, tough team, they’re physical,” Cone said of the Tall Blacks during a press conference on Wednesday “They’re a nation of rugby players, so they know how to play physically. It’s part of their culture.”

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“But I don’t think they’ve seen a team like the team we’re assembling.”

The Nationals host the Kiwis on Nov. 21 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, looking to keep their record perfect following a pair of dominating wins on the road last summer and working their way to the main tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August next year.

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But they may have to do so without AJ Edu, who sustained a noncontact injury last Saturday while fulfilling club duties in Japan.

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“It’s unfortunate because the injury happened days before coming into this window,” said team manager Richard del Rosario, who is keeping close tabs on Edu—who arrived in Manila later Wednesday.

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“We will [assess his status] with our trainers and medical staff and see from there. It depends on his recovery if he will be available for the window,” he added.

Kai Sotto also suffered an injury after rolling his left ankle, but Del Rosario, who also serves as Cone’s deputy, added that the young center is on pace to clear a concussion protocol: “From all indications, he will be available come game time.”

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New Zealand is several notches on top of No. 34-ranked Philippines, and they have been lording it over the Filipinos on the Fiba stage in the past four encounters.

“They’re a 22nd-ranked team in the world—that’s higher than the Georgia team we played in the [Olympic Qualifying Tournament],” Cone said of the Kiwis. “I think we got a shot at beating them. We want to certainly protect our home court, and we want to show ourselves to the Gilas fans around the country.”

Brownlee motivated

Gilas will be holding camp at Inspire Sports Academy beginning Friday and will spend three and a half days in the Laguna facility before moving their training sessions to Mall of Asia Arena on Nov. 19 and 20. The Nationals are also slated to play Hong Kong on Nov. 24.

Much of Cone’s rosy outlook, to nobody’s surprise, comes from Justin Brownlee, his old reliable at Ginebra who remains the Nationals’ primary naturalized ace.

“I think you’re all gonna see a really motivated Justin coming into this (game vs) New Zealand,” he said. “He struggled, we (Gin Kings) all struggled, in the (recent PBA title) series. People started thinking about whether he had injuries or not. It was just a tough, long playoff going through Meralco, San Miguel, and then having to go against TNT and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.”

“And have you seen Justin highly motivated? We’ve all seen him highly motivated in the past and what he could do. So I don’t think anybody really has anything to fear about him. He’s ready and he’ll be raring to go. I think he’s gonna have some real nice performances for the country coming up.”

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Ange Kouame, the other naturalized player, has been reeled back in to help with the preparations. Conefortune play, however, said that he will not likely replace Brownlee in the two homestands as “we expect Justin to play both games.”

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