Congratulations are in order. After more than sixty years the men’s basketball team of the Philippines finally wins gold. The finals was set against Jordan which was led by NBA player Rondae Hollis Jefferson.
Thought of writing about basketball news for a change as I myself is also playing a championship series in our community basketball league. Earlier today we won game 1 on a best of 3 series. 1 down. 1 to go. In the words of LeBron, job’s not done.
Before the asian games, was the FIBA World Cup. Where the mens team did not see much success. Many basketball fans were very disappointed as the team had some of the best players in the country as well as Half Pinoy and NBA sixth man of the year Jordan Clarkson. Drawing much of the flak is then head coach Chot Reyes who was also the head coach when the Philippines for the first time in 30 years failed to get the gold in the SEA games.
A quick look on social media would quickly show a united call for the head coach to resign. Everyone who expressed their dismay seems to point out the coaching system to be at fault. Poor defensive coordination paired with an outdated dribble drive offense were on top of the pain points. The call for him to step down was so big that even during the live games that we hosted here in the Philippines, when Chot was displayed on the big screens, the home crowd would boo and berate him endlessly.
So with a failed FIBA Campaign, Chot Reyes stepped down and was replaced by Tim Cone. A veteran coach who is also well decorated and seems to be a good predecessor. No one was really expecting much from the Asian Games as many of the players from fiba were no longer available to play. To name a few, Jordan Clarkson was headed back for the start of a new NBA season. High flying Rhenz Abando also had commitments in the KBL in Korea. Similarly, crowd favorite Saint Dwight Ramos will head back to Japan. Also returning to Japan would be Kai Sotto who is still in pursuit of his NBA aspirations.
Leading the pack of the newly formed Gilas is Justin Brownlee who is a naturalized Filipino player. Retained from the precious lineup would be top point getter CJ Perez. And PBA MVP Scottie Thompson. The Kraken Junemar Fajardo would bolster the center spot. Veteran Japeth Aguilar is also on the lineup to provide depth in experience. New to the roster was Calvin Oftana and Kevin Alas who made praise worthy contributions during the Asian Games.
The roster was definitely weaker, yet they still managed to get the Gold. Might be the coaching system was better and improved overall, or a better suit for international play. Although there were still many lapses and sloppy plays. The good thing was that the other team had a but of an off night too.
The politics of Philippine basketball is dirty to say the least. Sometimes it’s infuriating to be a fan. But I hope that this will be an eye opener and morale booster for those who are managing the sports programs to step it up. Set aside the differences and personal interests in order to achieve a common goal. Well, only time will tell if the heads of Philippine basketball will finally listen to their fans.