Dwight Ramos received the best birthday gift he could ask for as Gilas Pilipinas ended its FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 campaign with a huge victory over China on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ramos, who celebrated his 25th birthday that day, delivered 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block to help the Philippines avoid a winless campaign by defeating the Dragons 96-75 in the classification round.
“Of course [it was the best], everybody was there. My family was there, the whole stadium was singing happy birthday, so I could not ask for more, and we won,” said Ramos.
“It’s a little extra. Everything. A win, the whole crowd’s here, and my whole family’s in the crowd so I have everything.”
Ramos has been one of the few bright spots for this Gilas squad that lost its first four matches in the World Cup against the Dominican Republic, Angola, Italy, and South Sudan.
He averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Philippines in his first-ever World Cup and served as the second fiddle to Utah Jazz and Gilas Pilipinas star Jordan Clarkson.
The Levanga Hokkaido guard revealed that the mood in the dugout before the game was lighter than before, considering that some team members were affected by outside noise from the community. He believes this played a significant role in their breakout performance, which ended the country’s nine-game losing streak in the world tournament.
“I think even before the game, the mood was a lot lighter; people didn’t feel so pressured, and I think it showed on the court. Everyone was contributing. It was a good team win, and JC carried us, and that’s how we should play every time,” said the 6-foot-4 combo guard.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs, a lot of people talking, it kinda got to people, and I’m just glad to see my teammates out there doing well and playing confidently, so I was happy to see that,” Ramos added.
Regarding his future plans, Ramos mentioned that he is set to rejoin Levanga after the World Cup in preparation for the upcoming season. The guard out of Cal Poly Pomona said he would be heading to the B.League with a lot more confidence after playing against NBA stars like Karl-Anthony Towns, Bruno Fernando, Carlik Jones, Wenyen Gabriel, and Li Kaier.
“It feels good. There are a lot of good players, high-level basketball, and I’m coming into the B.League season with a lot of confidence, and it should be good,” said Ramos.
“It’s a really great experience; it’s my first World Cup, and I’m gonna take all these games, all these players I’ve played against and had to guard, and hopefully, it helps me have a great B.League season this year. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
