Excitement filled the air inside the Meralco Gym in Pasig City, Monday evening. Gathered inside the fabled training center were the present and future of Philippine basketball.
No one was more delighted than living legend Jimmy Alapag.
Alapag, now 40 years old and serving as an assistant coach to Gilas Pilipinas, has seen the practices of Gilas only have eight players train for a big tournament back then.
“It’s an exciting time for Philippine basketball. Like what coach Chot [Reyes] said earlier, this program has gone so far since 2007 in Tokushima,” reflected Alapag.
“We still see guys like Jayson [Castro], Japeth [Aguilar], June Mar [Fajardo], and Gabe [Norwood] who played in Spain who are still here to help the next generation. Then you have [Robert] Bolick and CJ Perez who are going to be the future of the Gilas program so it’s good to see everybody here and now the work begins.”
Bolick and Perez, both Most Valuable Players in the PBA D-League and NCAA respectively, have caught the eye of the six-time PBA champion, who said that the two will be part of the cornerstones of the program moving forward.
“Bolick and CJ, having watched them in the last NCAA Finals, there’s a lot of talent, a lot of young energy, a lot of athleticism out here. I’m excited for them,” Alapag confessed.
Alapag believes that being, training, and playing with Gilas will only lead to good things for the two cagers and for the team.
“Being a part of the program is something that they will remember for the rest of their careers.
“For these younger guys to compete against the vets this early, it’s only going to help them improve,” Alapag said. “It’s that youthful energy mixing with great mentors in the veterans who have already experienced so much. I think these young guys will be able to learn a lot from them.”
Even if the Philippine-hosted FIBA World Cup is still five years away, one of the 40 greatest players in PBA history stressed that it’s never too early to learn the system and build team chemistry. Alapag knows this, as there have been times when familiarity with his teammates — or the lack thereof — proved to be the difference in his battles with Gilas.
“It’s great because our program is in a bit of transition as we introduce some of the younger guys. It’s great to have this early of a start in preparation for 2023,” he expressed.
“Just to get these guys together and to already build on that chemistry and camaraderie that was so important for us back in 2013-2014.”
