THE Gilas Pilipinas ended their Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) stint in Belgrade with losses to Serbia and the Dominican Republic.
The young Gilas Pilipinas made a gallant stand in their opening game against the much-favored host Serbia, 83-76, then lost to the Dominican Republic, 94-67.
Serbia is world-ranked No. 5 while the Dominican Republic is ranked No. 19.
Gilas guard Dwight Ramos, who failed to see action in Belgrade due to groin injury, said in an interview with Fiba that they learned a lot from these two games.
“We are still very young. So, it ended up with a lot of basketball lessons on the court and off the court. But, it was an excellent learning experience,” he told in a Fiba interview.
Meanwhile, 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto, also in an interview with Fiba, stressed that the result exposed their weaknesses, but stressed that they still have time to improve and expect them to be better.
“I learned a lot, and I can’t wait for the next time to play with my team.”
For veteran and multi-titled coach from Bacolod City Dexter Dy, while they are one of the best in Asia, it is a different story when it comes to OQT.
“We have not yet beaten a European team and a South American team since the Gilas program started. We have beaten an African team in the 2014 World Cup and that is Senegal.”
“The team is headed in the right direction since they have only played 5 games together. Growing pains are part of the process. More games will develop experience and maturity. Come Fiba Asia Cup, the team will be ready and a few tweaks in the lineup will be made,” he stressed.
With Gilas collapsing in the second half of their game against the Dominican Republic, Dy cited that mental toughness does not happen overnight.
“You have to experience failure so that you can see where you need to improve. Execution is part of mental toughness. You have to be able to make adjustments in the number of possessions because you are given a limited number of timeouts. In-game, adjustments should be made in an instant,” he added.
Meanwhile, SJ Belangel’s uncle and Jr. NBA Coach Mark "Tata" Belangel said despite the losses, the experience that they got in OQT was priceless.
“The truth is, they shouldn’t be there in the first place but, because New Zealand withdrew thus, they got the slot. But, they earned lots of experience there. Our young players really did lots of sacrifices these,” he stressed.
Among the players who suited up for the Gilas Pilipinas in both the Asian Cup Qualifiers and OQT is Bacolod City-pride Belangel.