Becoming an effective leader means being able to communicate with teammates clearly and becoming a good example of uprightness. And former King Tamaraw Rey Mark Belo is ready to embody the needed characteristics, as he is now expected to become one of the leaders of the Gilas Pilipinas 5.0, which is composed of young players from the amateur ranks.
The long-time Gilas Cadets mainstay is prepared for such role, as he has ideas for how to be an exemplary senior to his teammates, especially inside the four corners of the court.
“Siguro sa pagbibigay ng reminders, pagiging role model, at pagiging isa sa mga leader ng team,” said Belo after their final tune-up match against PCBL team SCTEX, Monday evening at the Meralco Gym, which they won 106-83.
The North Cotabato native is now in his second year playing for the national team, and he is happy that he has been given another chance to don the Philippine colors on the global stage.
“Of course masaya, kasi nabigyan na naman ng pagkakataon na ma-represent ang Philippines. Malaking karangalan para sa akin yun,” said the 6’5″ forward.
However, Belo admitted that he still had feelings of doubt prior to the announcement of the Final 12-man lineup for the Challenge Cup, since this year’s pool — although filled up with amateur players — is stacked with talent.
“Meron namang ganun [kaba], kasi sa basketball labanan talaga eh. Nandoon yung competitiveness ng bawat isa. Kailangan mo ring magpakita talaga,” said Belo.
Now that Gilas 5.0 is complete, for the Challenge Cup at least, Belo declared that the team has no underlying issues such as team chemistry.
“Chemistry, walang problema. Alam naman na nila na hindi na school ‘to, Philippines na dinadala dito. Tsaka alam na namin yung kakayahan ng bawat isa,” Belo stated.
But despite the good team synergy of Gilas 5.0, Belo still sees things that need to be worked on as they dive into the battle that is the Challenge Cup, saying that the players — especially the new ones — have to be quick enough to pull through.
“Sa konting preparation namin, kailangan mabilis mag-pick up yung mga players lalo na sa defense namin,” said the Far Eastern University alumnus.
As far as achievements are concerned, Belo downplayed the huge expectations of the new Gilas team, which was built late July and composed of players from the UAAP, NCAA, and the PBA DLeague.
“Hindi namin maipa-promise yun, pero naghanda kami ng sobra,” he concluded.
