By: Ernest Tuazon
Dwight Ramos revealed that the guidance of Ateneo tactician and former Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin, along with his three-year experience in the B.League, has prepared him to become Gilas’ primary point guard for the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
With Ginebra point guard Scottie Thompson sidelined due to injury, Ramos has been earmarked by Gilas head coach Tim Cone to be the Philippines’ ace playmaker.
He will be backed up by Chris Newsome and CJ Perez.
“A couple of years ago, Coach Tab [Baldwin] was preparing me for this role, so I just kept on working on it. Now, I’ve got a chance to do that, so I just gotta do my best. I’ll get comfortable; I’ll get there,” the 6-foot-4 guard said after Gilas’ 74-64 win over the Taiwan Mustangs in their send-off friendly tonight, June 24.
It can be recalled that during the 2021 Asia Cup Qualifiers, Matt Nieto was out for Gilas and it was Ramos who was playing as primary creator for Baldwin’s Gilas.
(C) B.League
The 25-year-old Asian import of Hokkaido added that facing disciplined players and decorated imports in the Japanese league is valuable experience for him heading into the OQT.
Ramos averaged 10 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his three-year stint in the B.League.
“In the B.League, it’s always tough playing because they have really good imports there. The Japanese players are really disciplined too. It’s good practice for me to go against disciplined players like that,” he said.
Ramos added that he will prioritize properly familiarizing himself with Cone’s system during their tuneups against Turkey and Poland in order to playmake around the 11-man Gilas squad.
“The point guard job is not about keeping the ball at all times. As long as I keep passing the ball and moving it around, that’s the job of the point guard,” Ramos said.
