We finished 1-1 in the Fiba Asian World Cup Qualifiers on Feb. 27 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Not bad.
For one, we had practically expected that result—beating India and bowing to New Zealand. For another, that outcome was but a fraction of the overall picture—the World Cup next year being the ultimate mission.
If at all, Gilas had just been thrown under the bus.
It is a new Gilas crew we’ve seen grappling for identity to begin with, its core group gone and its replacements basically feeling each other in a getting-to-know-you atmosphere.
India was a piece of cake, of course. This cricket-loving country has always been our favorite whipping boy in basketball. Lauro “The Fox” Mumar had given it his best shot teaching them the game in the Sixties—to no avail. You can’t teach talent. And skills are as elusive as eels on the loose.
New Zealand was a notch over us only because our boys are still basically a project in the making. Coach Chot Reyes was cognizant of this.
“We played a tough team,” he said after New Zealand’s 88-63 drubbing of Gilas. “But we didn’t back down. We kept ourselves in the ball game until I think late in the third quarter.”
It was in that stretch when Tom Vodanovich and Dion Prewster rampaged, eventually finishing with 20 points apiece for the NZ side.
Dwight Ramos and Thirdy Ravena showed their worth in their tenacious bid to shore up Gilas’ dignified stand amid the Tall Blacks’ aggression.
“I thought they came in, and they executed,” said Reyes. “We are slowly transferring that mantle of leadership from Gilas players of the past to these two guys now. As I’ve said, this is a long-term program. We’re preparing for next year and beyond.”
Ramos had 17 points in the 88-64 win against India, with Ravena tossing in 15.
After two games, Ravena was top scorer with an average of 19 points per game and Ramos second with 17.5.
“Just definitely a big responsibility trying to transfer that leadership from the older generation to our generation,” Ramos told the Inquirer.
Said Ravena: “Whenever they give you that responsibility, you have to shoulder it, make the most out of it because it’s something bigger than yourself. It’s not something that should be taken lightly.”