A lot can change in five years. But for Gilas Pilipinas, five of their players want to believe that it’s for the better.
On Saturday, Gabe Norwood, Japeth Aguilar, June Mar Fajardo, Andray Blatche, and Paul Lee will make their second FIBA World Cup appearance.
“It was everything we worked hard for,” recalled Aguilar about their participation in the 2014 edition of the tournament in Spain.
“The goal was definitely to make it to the Olympics. But at that time, it felt like nasa Olympics na kami.”
In Spain, the Philippines was the feel-good story of the tournament.
The Filipinos pushed squads like Croatia, Argentina, and Puerto Rico to the brink – including an epic contest against the Luis Scola-led El Alma Argentina squad.
Five years later, though, the element of surprise is gone.
“We know we’re not gonna surprise anybody anymore. We’ve demanded respect in the last World Cup,” opined Norwood, who averaged 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game during the 2014 Worlds.
The composition of the team is a whole lot younger this time around. The trio of Kiefer Ravena, CJ Perez, and Robert Bolick manning the backcourt, while Raymond Almazan and Troy Rosario making up the towers.
“Yung 2014 sobrang stacked talaga nung team, lahat veteran. Dito, madaming bagong mukha,” shared Lee, who was as one of the ‘young’ guys back then.
“Nagre-rely lang kami sa samahan namin ngayon.”
The World Cup’s format has also changed during that span. And not for the easier either.
The prize of making it past the Asian Qualifiers – a rigged two-year series that saw Gilas play 12 games in a home-and-away format – were dates with European powerhouses Serbia and Italy and African upstart Angola.
But with the experience they have gained, they will go to China with confidence high.
“Siguro tumaas yung kumpyansa namin kasi pangalawang World Cup na. May experience na kami sa World Cup. Pero hindi ganun kadali yung mga magiging games natin,” said Fajardo, who has won five MVP plums since the last FIBA cycle.
Still, the goal remains the same. And though winning it all may seem like a stretch, Gilas looks to defy the odds just as always.
The first goal will be to win two games. Then advance to playoffs. Later on, maybe be the best Asian team to gain an outright Olympic berth.
Dare to dream, as they say.
“I’ve been an underdog almost my whole life so it’s okay. It’s great to shock people. Our main focus is to get two wins. We got one win in the last World Cup,” shared Blatche, who led Gilas to an 81-79 win over Senegal back in September 4, 2014.
“This time, our main goal is to get two wins and advance.”
