Weak Gilas 2015?

By Jesus A. Garcia, Jr.

IT’S hard to believe how our Gilas 2015 national team could have lost all its three games in Estonia in the four nation Toyota Cup last month. Our Gilas five (ranked 45th by FIBA) lost to FIBA ranked 41 Netherland by 27 points, 89-62. That’s really humiliating. And they also lost to the host Estonia (with no World Cup and Olympic experience) 90-80, and to Iceland, 86-76. Estonia and Iceland were unranked by FIBA in the top 124 nations. Yes, Gilas should learn a lot from the lessons of defeat and notably, they are now bouncing back in the eight-nation Jones Cup. Our Gilas first defeated the host Taipei Team A, 77-69, succumbed to their perennial arch-rival South Koreans the following day, 82-70, and bounced back in their third assignment clobbering the towering Russians, 85-71, in a very physical game. Their next big mission is to beat the 2013 FIBA Asia champion Iran and the taller New Zealand Kiwis.

Unfortunately Filipino-naturalized player Andray Blatche is not playing with the Gilas. He reportedly has to attend the wake of his beloved uncle in U.S. who just died recently but promised to rejoin the Gilas after the interment. Yes, being a six-foot-eleven and veteran center of this James Naismith-invented sport, he will be a big factor in delivering victories for Gilas, together with seasoned Fil-Am Lakers cager Jordan Clarkson, if FIBA will eventually approve the entry of Clarkson to Gilas. Clarkson, with a Filipina mother named Annette Tullao of Angeles City, hopes to join the Gilas squad in the FIBA Asia Championship this month slated in Changsa, China.

I believe that the six-foot-five Lakers point-guard Clarkson will be a big boost for our nationals. But he still has to know each member of the team, being a rookie. Bonding or jelling will go a long way in developing basketball chemistry with a new team not only among his teammates but with the coaching staff as well, and that’s the reason why Clarkson is also now with Gilas team in Taipei, not to play but to watch the moves of his half-country mates.

If plans don’t miscarry Clarkson will play with the Gilas for a short period and will be playing under difficult and unfamiliar conditions. That will be fixed but gradually. Yes, we are lucky that the fellow who grew up in San Antonio, Texas is very patriotic to his mother’s land and that’s very atypical to a Yankee like him. He said he will play with the Philippine team with all his heart and his soul.  Great.

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Two Santo Tomas town athletes with different disciplines are enplaning to different countries to represent Juan dela Cruz land in world championships. Duathlete Robeno Javier, 30, left on September 2 as the lone representative of Philippines to the 2015 Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships in Switzerland slated on September 5. Cyclist Dominic Perez will participate in the Under-23 World Cycling Championships scheduled on September 20-27 in Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A. Perez, 21, will be joining three other national team members John Mark Camingao of Davao City, Ronald Lomotos of Manila and Rustom Lim of Nueva Ecija.

The world cycling meet is one of qualifying events for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Olympic Games. Only seven Asian countries qualified for the World led by Iran, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines and Lebanon. Philippines is the only country in Southeast Asia that won the slot for the World. For the Pinoys to make it to the Rio trip, they would need to make it to the top four in the Asian rankings led by Iran. Philippines ranked sixth with 223 points and catching up with fifth ranked Hong Kong with 238 and number four Korea with 276.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: He who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ROMANS 12: 8-9

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