MANILA, Philippines—If you ask Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone, Japeth Aguilar deserves just as much praise as anyone on the national team.

The Barangay Ginebra big man may not have had the flashiest stint in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup, but Cone said Aguilar’s sacrifice and presence were invaluable.

READ: PBA: Japeth Aguilar has no complaints over Gilas, Ginebra grind

“What a warrior he is. He didn’t want to go to this tournament but I begged and begged him to come because we felt like we didn’t have enough size to compete without Kai (Sotto) there,” Cone said with Power and Play.

“I begged him to come and he stepped up and came again.”

Aguilar saw limited action in the continental tilt, averaging just 3.5 minutes per game and sitting out matchups against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand. He finished with four points in three outings.

READ: Japeth Aguilar’s Gilas return puts him in mentor’s role

But beyond the numbers, Aguilar’s leadership in practice and on the bench gave Gilas a boost, Cone said, even as the veteran dealt with personal matters.

“His wife didn’t want him to come, there were all kinds of issues going on, but he still stepped up to come and play,” Cone said. “My hats off to Japeth. He responds to the country every time.”

Aguilar is coming off one of his best PBA seasons in recent history where he became a frontrunner for the Governors’ Cup’s Best Player of the Conference award.