Gilas Pilipinas has rekindled hoop fans’ interest in the Philippines playing international ball.
There have been gallant participations in the past like the Asian Games teams coached by Tim Cone and Jong Uichico and the Gilas team of Rajko Toroman.
But there seems to be nothing in recent history to match the passion reignited by Chot Reyes’ Gilas squad in last year’s Fiba Asia and the Fiba World up.
Filipinos who were enamored with the NBA got hooked anew on Pinoy basketball. Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “Pilipinas” and playing pick-up games in Gilas jerseys are now in vogue. Miami Heat and Laker jerseys have taken a temporary but fitting backseat.
Filipinos who don’t necessarily follow the PBA religiously got hooked on the Gilas bandwagon. Cheering for your country playing in an international tournament was good for the soul and the heart and does help in binding a nation ripped apart by a variety of seemingly unsolvable issues.
Sure, there was an American reinforcement in both international stints. Marcus Douthit did his share for Gilas teams in the past and in the Fiba Asia while Andray Blatche had his tour of duty in the world games.
But the two chose to play for the Philippines and ended playing Pinoy hoops with its virtuoso moves and unpredictability. As Reyes said, scouting Gilas was a puzzle for opponents because everybody could be an offensive option.
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Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas is now faced with a problem for the Asian Games now that Blatche and Douthit are unsure of making the final roster.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has frowned on Blatche’s sudden emergence and has insisted on the three-year residency rule to deny him participation.
A last-ditch effort this week will try to get the OCA to be more accommodating. Philippine Sports Commission chair and Incheon Asian Games chef de mission Richie Garcia and longtime basketball man Moying Martelino have been dispatched to make one final appeal.
This should be an interesting cultural exchange given other countries’ strong-willed positions on rules.
But with or without a naturalized big man, Gilas should participate to continue to battle against our Asian rivals. Our other big men will be forced to play at a higher level and interesting coaching ploys can be employed. It will be a much harder tournament to win but that’s the thrill of competing.
There should be no undue pressure on Gilas because there will suddenly be a hole in the middle.
But not sending a team, an option bandied about in the light of the eligibility issues, will not augur well with a hoop nation already locked in anew to international hoop dreams.
The country has already been reacquainted with a team that plays with tons of heart and represents them well.