Norman Black is set to lead Gilas Pilipinas in the 33rd SEA Games
Norman Black is set to coach the Gilas Pilipinas Men’s team in the upcoming 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, scheduled from December 9 to 20.
Current Gilas head coach Tim Cone earlier announced that he would not be able to call the shots for the SEA Games due to a scheduling conflict with the 2025–26 PBA Philippine Cup, which will be in full swing during the tournament. Cone will instead focus on steering the national team in the opening window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers from November 24 to December 2.
With Cone stepping aside, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) tapped Black to take over. The 66-year-old veteran coach currently serves as the federation’s head of player identification and development and also works as a consultant for the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA.
Black is no stranger to the SEA Games stage, having previously guided a young Philippine squad to the gold medal in the 2011 Jakarta edition with a roster featuring Kiefer Ravena, Chris Tiu, Greg Slaughter, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., and other amateur standouts.
The 11-time PBA champion coach has already begun reaching out to several Filipino Asian Quota players currently playing in Japan’s B.League and Korea’s KBL to check on their availability. However, their participation remains uncertain as the biennial meet falls outside the official FIBA calendar and their leagues will still be ongoing during that period.
Given the situation, one contingency plan being considered is to field a team primarily composed of UAAP standouts, bolstered by naturalized players Justin Brownlee or Angelo Kouame.
Gilas Pilipinas, the defending SEA Games men’s basketball champion, will be aiming for its 20th gold medal in the event. The country reclaimed the 5x5 crown in the 2023 edition after settling for silver in 2021.
Black, a multi-titled coach in both the PBA and UAAP with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, now looks to add another gold medal to his storied career as he leads the national team this December.
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