Why we got shamed in the China Fiba World Cup

HERE we go again.

I am being asked:  What happened to Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba World Cup in China?

My standard reply?

We were punished, if not shamed.

Punished for our lack of preparation.

Punished for not dumping our bad habit of cramming.

Punished for taking the China mission for granted.

So, are you surprised that we ended up with nothing? 

In five games, not even a lone win.  Zero.

Not a single bright moment whatsoever for Gilas?

There was one.  Just one.

Our game against Angola made us a bit proud.

We lost but not after forcing Angola to play us in overtime.

We missed beating Angola for a number of crazy reasons.

Like, Kiefer Ravena splitting his charities in the endgame.

Had he made both charities, we could have won the game in regulation.  By a solitary point.

But Kiefer is just back from an 18-month or so suspension by Fiba for ingesting a banned substance.  Still rusty.

And then Japeth Aguilar.

He had a basket to kill.  By bungling it, we lost the last chance at victory.

Japeth was like, shooting a burglar, firing at a thief intruding into the night, and he missed—from point-blank range.

We paid the price as that Japeth blunder helped Angola to escape with the win.

We still had a chance in overtime.  But with a team lacking sorely in cohesion, we bowed via an 84-81 decision to the Angolans.

The setback came on the heels of back-to-back routs inflicted on us by Italy and Serbia.

We went downhill all the way from there as we got waylaid by Tunisia and Iran in the consolation round.

Five games.  Five losses.  Five groans.

We were shamed because we didn’t have enough time to prepare for battle.

Our players got hostaged by their schedule in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), hampering their training for the Worlds.

You are not even a contender and you cram in your preparation, that’s suicide.   

And now this:  We didn’t only lack preparation but, more specifically, we didn’t have the height.

Have I not told you a million times and one that height is might in basketball?

We had a bit of height in China with the likes of June Mar Fajardo, Aguilar and Troy Rosario—all 6-foot-7 plus.

But save for the 6-foot-10 Fajardo, the rest sorely lacked in heft.  And, yes, speed.

Our foes weren’t only tall but hefty and speedy as well.

In short, our lack in height, heft and speed is a built-in handicap against the hefty and speedy giants of America, Europe and even Africa.

Oh, yes, we had the 6-foot-11 Andray Blatche, but the naturalized Filipino from America was out of form and did not blend with our homegrown talents for the simple reason that he comes to the country only when his services are needed.

It’s about time we revamp our approach to the Gilas program. It should be brand-new by the time we host the Fiba Worlds in 2023.  That is, if we wish to rebound from that forgettable debacle in China.  

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