Gilas players willing to sacrifice more for flag and country

Musong R. Castillo/Philippine Daily Inquirer

TAIPEI – Gilas Pilipinas wound up its Jones Cup stint on a smashing note on Sunday afternoon and will fly back to Manila on Monday to again be with their families, albeit, for a short time only.

Part of the sacrifice that these National players make is being away from family for extended periods of time, and coach Tab Baldwin will ask all of his players to endure another stretch of that all the way up to the end of the Fiba Asia Championship later this month.

The players? They don’t mind as long as it is required by flag and country.

“We’re here, so let’s do what needs to be done to make this thing work,” center Sonny Thoss said, when informed by the Inquirer that Baldwin plans total seclusion for the team in the week leading to the Olympic qualifier in Changsha, China.

“It’s very well documented that we are late,” Baldwin said. “We’re back in cramming and it has to be done. These guys know they have to do the extra work.”

“If it is what’s needed to make this team better, then why not?” Thoss continued. “We’re in this (national team) to play our hearts out. And if being away from family will help us, I don’t have a problem with that.”

Thoss is seen as one of those who have an inside track at one of the Final 12 slots being just one of two pure centers in the squad together with the ageless Asi Taulava.

“Sure, I will take one for the (Philippine) flag,” Ranidel de Ocampo said in Filipino before the Gilas squad warmed up for its clash with Chinese Taipei-B at Xinzhuang gymnasium here on Sunday afternoon. “Sacrifices like that will have to be made, and our families understand.”

“They’re tired, most of them, but we have things to polish up, things we have to learn. We’re still nowhere near where we want to be,” Baldwin said.