So far Gilas Pilipinas has shown the basketball world that we belong. Our first game against Croatia says it all.
Gilas could have won it. The whole country held their breath when Jeff Chan attempted the potential winning shot in regulation. Gilas made another run during the extra period.
But it was not meant to be.
The three-point loss is probably the smallest margin that a world power team had over a Philippine National Team.
If Gilas performs in the same manner for the rest of the tournament, and I think they will because a team always performs the way it trains, Gilas will win some of its games, will advance to the next round, move up in world rankings, and the Philippines will be back in the world basketball map.
Then all the sacrifices that have been poured into the effort would not be in vain.
Thank you Mr. Pangilinan. Thank you PBA. Thank you Coach Chot. To all the members of the team.
When Team Gilas goes to the Asian Games, it will be the nemesis of the other teams and could be the favorite. We should never go back to the dark ages that the defunct BAP relegated Philippine basketball for decades.
This much we owe to the Filipino basketball fans whose motto has always and will always be “Bisag unsaon basketball lang gihapon.”
This is all that we ask.