MANILA, Philippines – When Gilas Pilipinas competes in its eagerly awaited debut at the 19th Asian Games on Tuesday, the team will face its genuine test.

It would be a difficult battle for Philippine team coach Tim Cone and his players.

Cone refers to Bahrain’s team as a “challenge” for the all-pro squad because they have encountered significant difficulties in the last two weeks leading up to the continental championship.

The most successful coach in PBA history stated of Bahrain, “I think they are going to be a challenge out there.”

The game blazed inside Zhejiang University.

Although the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) has not yet provided any information regarding the status of late additions Kevin Alas, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, and colleagues, Arvin Tolentino, and CJ Perez, business as usual continues for the national team.

On Monday, Gilas watched a movie before practicing at the Dongzan Arena Olympic Sports Shop for the second time since arriving on Sunday.

Bahrain, which is a member of Group C along with the Philippines, Thailand, and Jordan, is coming off a successful run in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Damascus, Syria, where it went undefeated in five games.

It was the first nation to qualify for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after winning the competition.

Along with Mustafa Rashed and Muzamil Ameer Hamooda, former PBA import Dwayne Chism is leading Bahrain’s effort.

Cone and his coaching team are aware of all these things.

The Gilas coach said of the opposition, “They are going to offer some problems due to the fact that they shoot the ball pretty well, they put a lot of pressure on their opponents out there, and they are not a huge squad which is rare for a Middle East club.

The next two teams for the Gilas are Bahrain, Tyler Lamb ‘s-banned Thailand, and Rondae Hollis-led Jordan.