Gilas Pilipinas’ Dwight Ramos watching a PVL game. –PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Dwight Ramos is not worried about his slight scoring dip in Gilas Pilipina’s fifth window sweep in the Fiba World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifier last week.
The Levanga Hokkaido star, who was averaging 14.8 points prior to the fifth window, struggled in the Philippines’ 74-66 win over Jordan as he shot 2-of-11 from the field, finishing with five points, four assists, four steals, and three rebounds but had six turnovers last Friday in Amman where coach Chot Reyes still praised his defensive effort.
Ramos bounced back last Monday as he dropped 13 points, four dimes, and three boards to lead Gilas’ 76-63 victory over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah that completed back-to-back road wins.
The 24-year-old guard, though, is not alarmed by his recent performance, vowing to work hard when he comes back to Japan for the 2022-23 B.League season,
“No, I’m not too worried. I’ll go back to Japan, keep working, keep trying to get better,” said Ramos, who was watching his girlfriend Kianna Dy during F2 Logistics’ match against Akari in the PVL on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“And hopefully next window… I mean, we’re just trying to get two more wins against Lebanon and Jordan. Gonna be two tough games at home,” he added.
The 6-foot-4 national team star was just glad that his team got two important wins on the road to improve their record to 5-3 in Group E.
“I think that was two good team wins. You could tell by just how balanced the scoring was,” Ramos said. “Obviously, there’s still stuff we need to work on, but that comes with time and more practice. So we’re on the way up.”
Ramos, who is averaging 13.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in the tournament, is looking forward to helping Gilas cap its Asian Qualifiers campaign in the sixth window against Lebanon and Jordan at home in February next year before the World Cup.
He is expecting a jam-packed crowd at Philippine Arena as the men’s national basketball team returns to the venue for the first time since the infamous brawl versus Australia three years ago.
“I hope so. I mean, Lebanon’s crowd was huge when we went there. So hopefully when they come here, we can show ’em, our crowd is even better,” he said.
Ramos also said that Justin Brownlee would be a good addition to Gilas as the Barangay Ginebra import, who is being as a naturalized player, is set to appear in a Congress hearing this Friday for his citizenship bid.
“I haven’t met Justin Brownlee, but I’ve seen him play. Obviously, he’s an amazing player. So hopefully I can start playing with him. He’s obviously a good addition to the team,” Ramos said.
Ramos is set to return to Japan as the Levanga Hokkaido resume their campaign in the 2022-23 B.League.