De Ocampo retires from Gilas | Inquirer Sports

De Ocampo retires from Gilas

/ 08:39 AM July 07, 2016

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

As the Philippines bowed out of its Olympic dream on Wednesday, it also lost a key cog in Ranidel de Ocampo.

The 34-year-old forward announced his decision to retire from international competitions early Thursday morning following Gilas Pilipinas’ heartbreaking 89-80 defeat to New Zealand that eliminated the Filipinos from the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament here.

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READ: FIBA OQT: New Zealand ends Gilas Pilipinas’ Rio dream

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De Ocampo wrote on his Twitter account @jutaca33: “I officially announce my goodbye [to] playing in Gilas Pilipinas Basketball! #PUSO”

The PBA veteran averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.9 minutes in the country’s two losses.

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It ends a storied international career for De Ocampo, who first donned the national team colors in 2003 as a part of the gold medal-winning team at the SEA Games in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

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The 6-foot-6 gunslinger was also a part of the last three incarnations of the Gilas program, seeing action in the 2014 Fiba Basketball World Cup, as well as the 2013 and 2015 Fiba Asia Championships.

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Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin thanked the TNT forward for his contributions to the national team.

“Thank you for your service, commitment and class. It’s been a privilege to work with you as both a player and person.”

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READ: Baldwin names Gilas ‘Fighting 12’ Sunday

De Ocampo had previously said that this OQT campaign would be his last.

“Bilang isa sa mga mage-exit sa Gilas, gusto ko rin matapos ng maayos (As among those leaving Gilas, I would like this to end well),” said De Ocampo a day before the tournament started. CDG/CFC

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READ: Norwood tells hurting Gilas: We can’t stop being proud

TAGS: basketnall, Gilas Pilipinas, Ranidel De Ocampo, Retirement

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