The 2023 FIBA World Cup is a gimme for Gilas Pilipinas because they were able to obtain the hosting rights alongside Indonesia and Japan.
Surviving the first round is a different story though.
If there is one thing I hate about not seeing the games live is not seeing Nikola Vucevic in person. For sure, I will find a way to get him for my fantasy lineup. Furthermore, there’s a chance that I would camp on the grounds of Shangri-la Hotel to possibly see a random topless Team USA player in the pool or eating in the breakfast buffet room.
Hey, there might be a chance that we can see one of them in a Filbar’s store.
Man, would I love to won a Gilas Pilipinas Funko pop.
I am a fan of June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, and Japeth Aguilar. Personally, I like Japeth’s story the most. He is basically the original second-generation player that was seen as the next big thing. His post-college career started out bad but eventually, he matured and more than a decade after debuting in Team Pilipinas, Japeth is now the team’s captain.
Rajko Toroman once lamented that Japeth would have been a great player if he had the brain of Chris Tiu.
I think Japeth Aguilar is ready for the challenge.
Like what I said to my former HOO.PH buddies Ochoman and Chrisangelo, I find the tournament as a chance to pimp our local players to the global stage. I want the Philippine basketball leagues to find a way to train the new generation for the international circuits. Kai Sotto and AJ Edu ditched their college careers so that they would have room for growth. We see Rhenz Abando as a newbie but he is already 25 years old. In the NBA, one-and-done athletes can apply for the draft. I want the league to adopt a two-way contract for the players wherein they are going to play for their respective colleges when their college tournaments start. This is a good thing so that teams can actually have a farm system outside the league where they can look after their player’s progress (they can even adopt the PBL’s allowance over salary system if they want) and at the same time, get the players to start pro ball before they reach 25 years old.
Anyway, having a 19 to 22-year-old player trying out in Japan, Korea, Australia, and even the G-League and Europe is going to help the Philippines’ standings. Again, I see the FIBA World Cup as a way to strengthen our basketball. If they finish the tournament with pride oozing across the archipelago, the fans will love the PBA again. It will also get the other international teams to check out our players. And why can’t the PBA teams swipe a player from the other international leagues? Globalization should have been the main focus of the PBA and this is why other countries were able to catch up.
I want Jordan Clarkson to explode but I also want him to orchestrate. The entry of Clarkson made our big men valuable. Clarkson knows how to use Sotto and while Kai might be raw, I believe the post-up moves of June Mar can work in a major way. I want RR Pogoy to heat up from the outside and I know there is a reason why Kiefer Ravena is a constant in all of Chot Reyes’ teams.
I am not a Chot Reyes hater and I think he is due for a bounceback against all of his trolls. Let’s not forget that Reyes can push the right buttons if the opportunity presents itself as he did when Gilas Pilipinas placed second in the FIBA Asia Championship by defeating Korea in 2013.
Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, and CJ Perez are ready to ball for the squad. Baby Beast is fearless and in some ways, I want him to unleash the energy I know he can give.
And of course, I am saving Dwight Ramos for last. These past incarnations of Gilas Pilipinas have the J-League baller as a constant. Whether it’s Tab Baldwin or Reyes, Ramos is a proven player that our foes need to check. With that said, this is why I want the other players to step up. I don’t like the idea that the PBA players are the supplements for the international players. If we’re going to play our brand of basketball, then they are the keys to victory. Scottie Thompson is going to represent what Marc Pingris, Jayson Castro, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel De Ocampo, and Jimmy Alapag did in former Gilas iterations. Thompson is an anomaly in the sense that a player of his size shouldn’t have his rebounding awareness.
His heart needs to show in every fight.
In fact, the entire Gilas team needs to have this in every game they play.
I know facing the top countries will be an arduous task but we are playing in our homecourt. If you remember what Ginebra did to the Bay Area Dragons, in some ways, this is like this… only on a global stage. If the team plays like there is no tomorrow, it will activate our sixth-man button and I don’t care if you’re Team Italy, Angola, or the Dominican Republic. Still, if the crowds roar with all the chants they can think of inside the jampacked Philippine Arena, it will be a nightmare for them.
So here’s to wishing luck on our Gilas boys. I think they are going to surprise everyone and I mean EVERYONE. Again, I think Chot Reyes will get his revenge on his haters by creating an unbelievable moment in our rich basketball history and the PBA players will help lead it.
I know this is a cliché term for all the basketball-loving Filipinos but all I can is PUSO!
