MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Imagine how it must have felt to be a member of the Philippines national team back in August when the side ran onto the court to face Korea with a spot in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup at stake. Not since 1978, when the Philippines had hosted the event themselves, had the countrys squad competed in a FIBA World Championship. Roared on by their own fans in Manila at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, the Chot Reyes-coached team ended the drought. Its 86-79 triumph over Korea in the Semi-Finals, the Philippines punched their ticket to next years 24-team event in Spain. With Reyes pacing the sidelines and shouting encouragement to his players before a packed arena, the country enjoyed a fantastic evening of basketball. The Philippines came up short in the title game against Iran, but that setback did not take the shine off their performance in the event. In fact, 12 members of the House of Representatives in the Philippines Parliament filed a resolution to honor the team. The resolution said: Gilas Pilipinas fulfilled the countrys dream of ending 35 years of absence in the World Championship. It is with great pride that Gilas Pilipinas should be recognized for this honor, outstanding performance and dedication to the country and flag. The build-up to the World Cup is going to be exciting for all of the players, including Pampanga-born Jayson William Castro, a 1.76m guard who razzled and dazzled at the continental championship in Manila and made the All-Tournament Team. William had 17 points in the triumph over the Koreans. Almost four months later and Reyes is still feeling very good. When he reflects on the silver-medal achievement, the memory of the dedication and sacrifice by the players is what comes to mind. Pride comes from seeing how hard my players worked, bucking the odds, giving up their rest, family and vacation time, putting themselves on the line - for this, he said in an interview on the FIBA Asia website. For Reyes and everyone involved in Philippines basketball, these are exciting times. The World Cup is going to be an extraordinary event. fiba/pages/eng/fe/14/wcm/news/p/nid/70608/article.html
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 08:06:56 +0000
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