Seremban:Manila The official training for Gilas Pilipinas, in preparation for the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, is on hold until all players are present in Seremban, Malaysia.

According to Philippines News Agency, national coach Tim Cone stated that overseas Filipino players, including naturalized player Bennie Boatwright, who is currently playing in the Chinese Basketball Association, will not be available until at least November 20. The majority of the team is scheduled to depart for the Malaysian city on November 21, allowing the team only a week of practice together.

Coach Cone mentioned that players AJ Edu, Quentin Millora-Brown, and Mike Philips are expected to join the team directly in Kuala Lumpur from Japan, while Dwight Ramos and others are arriving a day before the team's gathering. The players are currently engaged in either the Japan B.League or the Korean Basketball League (KBL).

The training will not be conducted in Manila due to the limited availability of players, as most are still fulfilling their international commitments. Cone emphasized that it would not be practical to hold practices with only three or four players, such as PBA players Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Juan Gomez De Liano, and CJ Perez.

The Philippines is set to play against Syria on November 27 and Iran two days later. Bennie Boatwright will make his national team debut, replacing the injured Justin Brownlee. Other notable players on the 12-man roster include KBL's Rhenz Abando and Kevin Quiambao, and B.League's Kai Sotto.

The Philippines currently holds a 4-4 record in Group E, trailing Iran and Jordan, who both have 5-3 records. Australia leads the group with an unbeaten 8-0 record, followed by New Zealand at 6-2. The PBA Governors' Cup is on hold from November 9 to December 3 to accommodate Gilas Pilipinas' attempt to secure a spot in the 2027 Qatar World Cup. The league will resume on December 4 with the best-of-five Final Four matchups.