Gilas guard Dwight Ramos against Indonesia. FIBA ASIA CUP
MANILA, Philippines—Dwight Ramos undoubtedly had the best performance for Gilas Pilipinas in its 76-51 win over Indonesia in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.
The 6-foot-4 point guard finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Philippines to a 5-0 record in Group A but his performance looked like a mixed bag for head coach Tab Baldwin.
The mentor said he would’ve liked to see Ramos go beyond his numbers and showcase his leadership instead of just singlehandedly trying to save his team from disaster.
“I thought that Dwight had an exceptional game and you know that can get lost in the fact that there wasn’t cohesion out there,” said Baldwin Friday at Angeles University Foundation.
“It points out that he’s a player that is pretty comfortable at any level of basketball. And he did a good job, you know, sort of playing in a way that that bridge the gaps in the first half.
“But again, you know, I would encourage Dwight, to be more of a leader and to make sure that everybody else does their job, and not just trying to fix all the problems himself.”
The Filipinos led Indonesia 30-22 at the end of the first half but they struggled to pull away at that point.
Ramos had four points in the first half but his impact was felt more on the hustle plays than offense as he had nine rebounds and two steals in the first half alone.
Baldwin was proud that Ramos was doing things all on his own but he also reminded his point guard to get his teammates going.
“That’s a recurring theme with Dwight, you know. Hopefully, you play games where he doesn’t have to fix things and everybody’s doing their job,” said Baldwin.
“He stood out and possibly, you know, for the right reasons, but the wrong scenario.”
