Chris Newsome will be a vital player for Gilas Pilipinas come the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the following windows of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
Chris Newsome just had a very successful month of June, having led the Meralco Bolts to their first PBA championship by beating the vaunted San Miguel Beermen.
In six games of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Newsome averaged 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. The guard even exploded for a career-high 40 points in Game 4.
It was his jumper with just 1.3 seconds left in Game 6 that delivered the title to Meralco.
His efforts were rewarded with a Finals MVP plum.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Chris Newsome earns Finals MVP honors after leading Meralco to breakthrough title]
After only a little rest, he would have to get back to the court again as part of Gilas Pilipinas.
He was one of the final cuts from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup roster, but Tim Cone considers him to be vital--as shown in their gold-medal winning run in the 2023 Asian Games as well as in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
Newsome is expected to step up when Gilas Pilipinas takes on Latvia and Georgia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) early next month.
And it's not because NewNew can erupt for 40 points.
"They're not the most prolific scorers, but they are great defenders," Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone told Carlo Pamintuan in a Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) interview.
"We wanted that and that was a really big priority for us. So that was why we picked those guys as opposed to picking other guys that would, you know, put up 30 points or 28 points or whatever."
And Chris showed just that when he locked down familiar foe Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the Philippines' gold medal match in the Asian Games against Jordan.
"Chris is really our backcourt stopper," Cone said, recalling how Newsome defended against Jefferson. "That commitment, he's he's going to be a committed defender. That's going to be his absolute priority."
"He's not going to worry about scoring or passing. He's just going to lock into a guy that we need and he's got good size for the back court. And it just seemed it came to be a really good fit for what we do," the tactician added.
Can he lock down the likes of Arturs Zagars, the young point guard who tallied a World Cup single-game record of 17 assists?
[ALSO READ: Kristaps Porzingis headlines 24-man Latvia pool vs Gilas in FIBA OQT]
That will remain to be seen as Gilas Pilipinas starts training on June 21. The FIBA OQT will start on July 2.
Only the winners of the four OQTs will book a ticket to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Story Summary:
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Chris Newsome, fresh off leading the Meralco Bolts to their first PBA championship, emerges as a key player for Gilas Pilipinas in upcoming tournaments like the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
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Known for his defensive prowess, Newsome's role in Gilas Pilipinas is pivotal as highlighted by coach Tim Cone, emphasizing his ability to lock down opponents rather than solely relying on scoring.
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Despite being a recent standout in the PBA Finals, where he averaged 22.5 points per game and clinched the Finals MVP title, Newsome's primary focus for Gilas will be on defensive assignments against international talents, including notable guards like Arturs Zagars of Latvia.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]