CJ Perez expects ‘hungry’ Guam as Gilas chases perfect start to World Cup Qualifiers

Gilas Pilipinas enters the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers with its sights set firmly on the future — but the team’s first step is against an opponent who has nothing to lose and everything to prove.

For CJ Perez, that makes Guam more dangerous than anyone cares to admit.

The San Miguel star knows that the Filipinos carry the pedigree, the history, and the regional expectations. But he also knows what’s coming: a small nation playing its biggest games yet, led by a familiar face who lives for moments like these.

“I think ‘yung Guam, sobrang hungry niyan, lalo nakikita nila ‘yung progress ng team nila. Talagang excited sila,” Perez told Tiebreaker Times, acknowledging the edge that belief can bring.

Guam’s rise has been steady, if understated. The island earned its way into the Qualifiers after breaking into the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 field in Saudi Arabia — a milestone that turned heads across the region. Their identity reflects that climb: unflashy but relentless, with an improving system under Coach EJ Calvo and a core built around pride and continuity.

And at the center of it all is Jericho Cruz.

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FINAL 12 IS SET.

Gilas Pilipinas vs Guam — World Cup Asian Qualifiers window begins.
Laban Pilipinas!#GilasPilipinas #FIBAWorldCup #Puso #LabanPilipinas #PBA #FIBAAsia #Gilas pic.twitter.com/2UsatNsb0m

— The Solid Basketball (@TSBph) November 28, 2025

Once a PBA star, now a cornerstone for Guam’s international program, Cruz’s journey has made him both symbol and spearhead of the island’s basketball revival. Friday’s clash marks the first time he’ll face Gilas — and he couldn’t be more fired up.

Perez knows. They share a locker room. They share battles. They share a championship.

And on this stage, they will share none of that.

“Masaya kami bilang PBA players na dumarami ang PBA players sa national teams,” said Perez, who is aiming for his third World Cup appearance. But even that familiar camaraderie gets pushed aside in a window that could define an entire qualifying cycle.

 he stakes? They couldn’t be clearer.

Coach Tim Cone did not sugarcoat the weight of the moment.

“If we don’t win this window, then we won’t make the World Cup. If we don’t make the World Cup, we can’t make the Olympics,” Cone said.

“So, if we don’t win these two games, all of our goals are dashed. That’s how crucial these two games are.”

With Australia and New Zealand — two Oceania giants — looming in later windows, Cone sees Group A’s third and final advancing slot as a direct duel between the Philippines and Guam. That adds both pressure and clarity: drop one, and the path collapses.

Perez feels that urgency too. He senses how teams like Guam view the Philippines — a measuring stick, a threshold, a target.

“Sina Jericho, excited sila na makalaban ang Pilipinas. I think isa sa basehan din ng mga nasa ilalim na team ‘yung Pilipinas eh,” he said.

That’s why the Gilas veteran expects nothing comfortable when they step into the Calvo Fieldhouse in Yigo Village. Guam won’t bow. Guam won’t slow. Guam won’t second-guess.

And Gilas can’t afford to either.

Because in games like these — in windows like this — regional hierarchy means nothing. Hunger, momentum, and urgency take over.

And both sides have plenty of all three.

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