Despite not winning a single game and thus missing on the chance to gain a slot in the basketball competition proper of the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Gilas Pilipinas still emerged the best performing team from among the three Asian squads in the three of four Olympic qualifying tournaments held in Canada, Lithuania and Serbia.
The youthful, rookie laden all amateur Gilas Pilipinas team toted a losing points differential of only -34 as compared to South Korea of -53 and China of -55 albeit the last two fielding their strongest all-professional national squads featuring behemoths.
Gilas played in the OQT hosted by powerhouse Serbia in Belgrade where it tangled with the Serbs boasting of the towering NBA veteran Boban Marjanovic and the grizzled Milos Teodosic and the Dominican Republic Team littered with NBA hopefuls as well as cagers that saw action in US collegiate circuit.
Led by their twin tower of 7-3 Kai Sotto and 6-11 naturalized Angelo Kouame, both exposed to no higher than collegiate or youth level competitions, the largely still juvenile Gilas surprised and nearly upset the seasoned Serbs, folding only in the last minute of the game and losing by just seven points, 76-83.
In the absence of main man Dwight Ramos, Gilas fell back on the heads up play of point guards SJ Belanger and RJ Abbarientos, both standing below six feet and gunners Carl Tamayo, William Navarro and Justin Baltazar to keep the physical-playing Serbs within striking distance in the crucial stretches.
Getting contribution also from two gutsy Ateneans 6-2 Mike Nieto and 6-8 Isaac Go, Gilas even grabbed the lead with just two minutes left but the Serbs rallied around Marjanovic and Teodosic to avoid a big time embarrassment in front of their hometown crowd and won by seven at the buzzer, 83-76.
Gilas likewise kept the game close against Dominican Republic for three quarters but maze of errors and turn overs as well as their three point shooting deserting them allowed the Central Americans to break the game open and pull away at the buzzer, 94-67. Sotto and Kouame once again held on to their own against burlier Dominican frontliners getting support from rookie playmaker Jordan Heading in the earlier going. But the Dominicans had clearly scouted the team and used fast penetrations and sizzling outside sniping to unsettle the tiring Gilas in the fourth quarter to pull away, taking full advantage of the Filipino's errors and misses.
On the other hand, South Korea in Kaunas, Lithuania and China in Victoria, Canada were both blown out by their respective opposition.
South Korea led by their naturalized player, Ricardo Ratliffe known as Ra Guna, were beaten by Venezuela, 94-80 in their opening assignment. Host Lithuania finished off the Sokors with a 94-67 rout.
China meanwhile was rudely welcomed by the host Canadian team via a 109-79 massacre. Greece completed the humiliation with a 105-80 drubbing.
Gilas has beaten the same South Korean team twice in topping Clark Bubble group tournament and holding the same China squad to a draw in an exhibition prior to the OQT.
Would Gilas had an ever better performance had Ramos and Javi Gomez de Liano, Japan pro leaguer Thirdy Ravena and PBA reinforcements 6-10 Junmar Fajardo and 6-9 Japeth Aguilar been with this squad?
Perhaps.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
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