Gilas Pilipinas forward Marc Pingris clenches his fists after beating Iran on Monday. Photo from Fiba.com
With the PBA’s decision of fully supporting the national team’s cause, one Gilas mainstay is happy with the stronger Gilas Pilipinas pool for the Olympic Wild Card.
Marc Pingris, who once again gets a chance to represent the Philippines, expressed his elation with 17-man pool released by the PBA Wednesday.
READ: Gilas Pilipinas to join Olympic Wildcard–SBP
“Tuwang tuwa ako na nadagdagan pa yung mga players at lalo tayong lumakas,” Pingris said on Thursday.
The pool provides a glimpse of how a full-powered Philippine squad could look like with the league’s best players available, but Pingris is hoping that everyone becomes available for whatever reason.
“For me, kahit na kasama ako, sana wala ng ma-injury. Mahirap maglaro mg maayos pag kulang-kulang yung team eh,” he said.
READ: PBA commits support for Gilas, releases 17-man pool for Olympic Wildcard
Though the task at hand is hard, Pingris knows that with enough preparation, the country can compete with the rest of the field in the final Olympic qualifying tournament next year.
“Lagi namang mahirap yung pinagdadaanan eh,” he said. “Ang key lang is mag-focus sa practice. Kahit anong lakas ng team, kung hindi naman maaapply yung natutunan sa practice at kulang ang samahan, mahirap yun.”