World Cup cut Newsome finally gets golden moment in Gilas' Asiad conquest
MANILA, Philippines – One of the final cuts for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup, Chris Newsome proved his worth in the Philippines’ gold medal-clinching win against Jordan in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China Friday night.
Newsome played terrific Gilas’ 70-60 victory over Jordan, scoring a tournament-high 13 points in 30 minutes. He also finished with a team-high +17 against the squad that tormented Gilas in the group stage.
The Meralco guard’s impact transcended his offensive production, as his defensive prowess showed after taking up the assignment of guarding Jordan’s naturalized player, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
While Hollis-Jefferson ended with a game-high 24 points, he shot 8-of-29 from the field while primarily being defended by Newsome.
It is, by far, the best game for Newsome in the Asiad, as he only managed to finish in double-digits once throughout the tournament.
In his first game, he scored just three points against Bahrain. He followed it up with a five-point output against Thailand.
In Gilas’ devastating loss against Jordan in the group stage, Newsome went scoreless.
He then scored just two points both against Qatar and Iran, while going for four markers against China in their semifinal game.
The former Ateneo Blue Eagle earlier promised to give 100% “every single day” ahead of the Asiad.
While he was technically the last player cut from the World Cup roster, Newsome did not leave the team, spending time in shootarounds, passing and rebounding the ball.
The prolific defender even guarded naturalized NBA star Jordan Clarkson during the World Cup.
“Just here, as a soldier, as a servant of the program, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make this country proud and try to get a medal for us,” he told reporters in an earlier interview.
And get a long-awaited Asian Games medal for the Philippines, he did.
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