Marcus Douthit . FILE PHOTO
With his chances of making the Gilas Pilipinas squad slimmer than ever, Marcus Douthit bid the national team goodbye on Friday.
In his Twitter account @DouthitMarcus, he wrote, “I just want to thank everyone for accepting me to represent such a great country i will always be thankful !!! PUSO”
Douthit was left out in the cold after the Philippines secured Andray Blatche as the country’s naturalized player in 2014 and Fil-Tongan center Moala Tautuaa placed as the squad’s substitute reinforcement for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China, in September.
The 35-year-old big man has been a member of the national team since 2010 with the Smart Gilas program under coach Rajko Toroman.
The 6-foot-11 Douthit has been a rock for the Philippines in the international tournaments, helping the team in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship squad, where the country won the silver medal.
He last donned the national tri-colors in the disastrous 2014 Asian Games run, where he infamously scored on an opponent’s basket as a desperation move for the Philippines’ already dwindling hopes.
Throughout his run with the Philippine national team, Douthit also played as an import for the Air21 Express and Blackwater Elite in the PBA.