I can still remember how the Filipinos conquered the South Korean National Basketball Team in the FIBA Asia 2013 Championship Semifinals. That exact moment made me a big fan of the Philippine basketball. Since then, I continued supporting the team that plays with “PUSO”.
For the 2014 FIBA World Cup, they naturalized Andray Blatche. Blatche was incredible during the tournament as he is one of the statistical leaders in terms of scoring and rebounding for the elimination round. But he wasn’t the only player of the red and blue team of the Philippines. Around him were the guys with big hearts. Every shot they take makes every Filipino proud.
They arrived as the underdogs of the World Cup. Though lacking in size, they fought like never before. They were close in finishing off Croatia but the European team prevailed. It was a heart-breaking moment but staying down after falling doesn’t prove anything good. Gilas Pilipinas remained positive and still hoping they can bounce back for the next games.
The next games of the team were the same as the first one. They almost defeated the teams, but they fell short every time. They only have two games left after losing to Croatia, Greece and Argentina. Defeating Puerto Rico and Senegal is their only hope of staying alive in the tournament. But sadly, they lost to Puerto Rico after a good game of JJ Barea.
The Philippines then lost their only hope of making it to the next round of the World Cup. But they never gave away their last game to the opponents as they aimed to win in the world stage after a lot of years. They were successful as they defeated Senegal, 81-79. This is a heart-warming experience for all the Filipinos around the world as the team finally won. Though they didn’t qualified for the next phase of the 2014 FIBA World Cup, it is still great to see our national team evolving into something new and better.
This 2016, they are once again aiming to make it to the world stage. They will be playing for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament from July 5 to July 10. They are now taller, better, and smarter after gaining more experience. This is a whole new Philippine Basketball squad. This is a team that started from the bottom and now rising to prove what they are now. For the coming tournament, I will support the team with my heart. Never forget to support our national team and shout “PUSO”!
