Out of Asia: Against all odds

The Philippines’ success in the FIBA-Asia tournament is being called a miracle. It once again reminds us of the rewards of hard work and sacrifice, of putting others before self, and of dedicating to a higher cause. Regardless of the outcome of last night’s championship match against Iran, Gilas Pilipinas can say: mission accomplished. We are now out of Asia and back onto the world stage.

What makes the triumph seem divinely guided is how circumstances conspired to open a path against all the odds. We weren’t even supposed to be hosting in the first place. Lebanon was announced as the winning bidder back in September. But by January, peace and order issues there caused a shift to the Philippines, and the hard work of securing resources to conduct the tournament at the highest possible level began in earnest. Most of the people who actually watched the games weren’t even alive when we were last a factor at this level of basketball.

Availability of talent was another critical matter. Earlier this year, I bumped into Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes, and the team was cramming with once-a-week practices since the PBA was also on-going. Despite that, progress was still remarkable, the players were adapting to his system, and they were being given everything they needed. It was going to be close, but a top three finish was becoming a reasonable possibility.

Of course, there were some players on the final wish list who became unavailable due to injury or other reasons. Who knows how the team would have performed if Kelly Williams and Sonny Thoss were in the line-up, or if Greg Slaughter were aboard. Still, the PBA and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas realized this was bigger than either or both of them, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity called for bringing in the best available talent.

Then there was the loss to Chinese Taipei, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Not only did it serve as a wake-up call, it caused a domino effect that eventually set us on the road to the finals. China fell by the wayside, in the final analysis a victim of its own coaching as in other failed international tournaments since the 1990. We avoided a clash with Iran and, looking back, faced gradually tougher and tougher opponents we were able to adjust to. 

The game against Hong Kong was supposed to be a light assignment, but it also served notice that anything is possible if you aren’t careful. Reyes was incensed, and it showed throughout the game and in post-game interviews. He was squeezing every last ounce of concentration from his players, constantly calling their attention to lapses. Hopefully, this would be the last unexpected threat to making the top three.

There was also a lot of concern about loopholes in defense and consistency of outside shooting, the great equalizer in international competition. Gary David, who had disappointed himself more than anyone else, took a few precious hours to find himself, and the result was a big game and a big boost to Gilas Pilipinas. The games were far from perfect, but perceptibly getting better in a steep upward curve.

Then there was the injury to Marcus Douthit in the second quarter of Saturday’s semifinal game against Korea. Our starting center did not come out of the dugout at the start of the second half, and did not play anymore. But Marc Pingris and Ranidel de Ocampo more than held their own, rediscovering their quickness and guile, and turned up their aggressiveness. Jayson Castro and Jimmy Alapag threw their defenders off with their vast experience, and the visitors didn’t know what hit them.

The bottomline is that the SBP leadership of Manny Pangilinan and Sonny Barrios and the PBA put the team in a position to win. Chot Reyes held the team to a high, exacting, uncompromising standard, tossing out the habitual Filipino “pwede na” (good enough) attitude. The players, all accomplished in their own right, did what was asked of them, no questions asked. The guards, in particular LA Tenorio, Castro and Alapag, show respect for each other ahead of their pride and set the bar for the rest of the team. Team manager Butch Antonio and the coaching staff were just a few among many unsung heroes of Gilas Pilipinas. Many ghosts of basketball past were banished, and the results were indelible new history.

It was a unifying experience, for the basketball community, the media, sports fans and the general public. For those who remember our deep past, this was a new lifetime. Qualifying for the World Cup of Basketball means only one thing for the Philippines. Our best just have to keep getting better.