Dwight Ramos for Gilas Pilipinas. FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Dwight Ramos already proved what he can do on the basketball court for Gilas Pilipinas and now program director Tab Baldwin wants his do-it-all man to be more of a presence in the locker room.
Gilas had a slew of injuries with captain Rey Suerte, Matt Nieto, and Dave Ildefonso all going out with various blows absorbed in training.
Suerte is the obvious leader but Nieto is also a vocal figure in the team and Baldwin wants Ramos to take their place.
“With Dwight Ramos, it’s still a wish for us. He still has a personality that isn’t vocally oriented and it’s got to change. It’s a drum we’ve been beating, he’s changing slowly so it is what it is,” said Baldwin.
“He knows that’s his job.”
Ramos has averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals in the three games he’s played in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.
A first glance at the 6-foot-4 Ramos would make someone think that he’s an outgoing person but the bruising forward is a total opposite of his initial perception.
“Coach Tab has been challenging me to be more of a leader, be more vocal. That’s something that I have been trying to work on. I’m not the loudest person but I’m trying,” said Ramos who transferred from Cal Poly Pomona to Ateneo two years ago.
“As time goes on, hopefully, I become more of a vocal guy for those young players because I might have a little more experience than them internationally,” added Ramos.
Ramos said he has been learning from former Gilas captain Kiefer Ravena.
“I’m pretty close to Kiefer. If I have any questions, I just go to Kiefer. Kiefer was named our captain that one time,” said Ramos.