As brilliant as the LA Tenorio-led Gilas Youth was on offense, it was their top-notch defense that stood out most to Gilas Men head coach Tim Cone in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers.
Defense wins championships.
It's a phrase so often repeated it's almost cliché in basketball — unless, of course, you're watching a group of teenagers breathe life into it with every press, rotation, and contested shot.
That was the defining trait of Gilas Youth’s flawless campaign in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers.
And for Gilas Men head coach Tim Cone, it was that defense-first mentality that made the biggest impression.
“I think that what stood out most for Batang Gilas was their cohesion in defense,” Cone said, reflecting on his trusted Ginebra vet and now Gilas Youth head coach LA Tenorio’s recent dominating run in the tournament.
He added: “I don’t see that from young teams that well — that guys are disciplined and playing within a defensive system.”
[ALSO READ: LA Tenorio grateful after SEABA gold, but knows ‘lot of work to be done’]
Behind Tenorio, the Philippines swept the six-day tilt with a perfect 6-0 slate, including a masterful 70-40 romp over Indonesia in the gold medal game.
[ALSO READ: Gilas Youth reassert might, trample Indonesia to rule SEABA Qualifiers]
“They did a good job of finding a good mix of keeping pressure in the frontcourt and getting to a system and containing the backcourt. That takes a lot of work,” Cone added
.
Work — and results — spoke volumes.
Gilas Youth led the tournament in scoring with an average of 90.67 points per game, but just as striking was the other side of the stat sheet — they held opponents to a tournament-best 51.67 points per outing.
Three teams were held under 50, and five of six were kept below 62. The only exception was against Indonesia, which pushed the Philippines in the preliminaries with a close 77-68 decision.
[ALSO READ: LA Tenorio welcomes Gilas Youth close win vs Indonesia ahead of last prelim game, final]
That was as close as anyone got.
Gilas Youth also posted an average margin of victory of 39 points, and while their offense hummed with confidence, it was the consistency of their defense — the constant denial of rhythm to their opponents — that set the tone.
“They were really good defensively,” the winningest coach in PBA history said.
The defensive mindset Cone advocates has long been a staple of his PBA championship teams, and he believes building that identity early will prepare Gilas Youth for the international stage.
[ALSO READ: Gilas head coach Tim Cone gives injury update, recovery timeline on Justin Brownlee]
“They’re taking the right steps. You can’t teach everything at once, but if they build this foundation now, it’ll pay off when they get to the next level,” he added.
“It’s gonna be crucial for the (Gilas) seniors as well. We believe defense takes pressure off the offense. We want to put a lot of energy on defense so that we don’t have to outscore teams all the time,” Cone emphasized.
Gilas Youth will face stiffer competition come August in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup.
[ALSO READ: Gilas Youth coach LA Tenorio on FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers win: 'We're more ready']
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad)