It’s been four days since the 32nd Southeast Asian Games ended.
Still, everything – from his selection to the pool up to the gold medal game – feels surreal for young Mike Phillips.
(C) PSC-POC Media Group
“Hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin ako mapaniwala na I was able to even be selected alongside Kuya Ben. Sobrang masaya ako,” said the 20-year-old Phillips. “It was just a dream and I’m still at a loss for words.
“Iba talaga if you are playing for the country and you have Pilipinas across your chest. Hindi kami napapagod sa court kahit super init because we are playing for every Filipino.”
Testy was the tournament and Phillips.
Besides the conditions during the games and the composition of their opponents, playing against a hostile crowd was tough.
(C) Ariya Kurniawan
“Yung pinaka mahirap sa amin is playing in front of the Cambodian fans.
“They really showed up at napuno nila yung venue. My hats off to the Cambodian team because they played really hard. We are just blessed. We had a nice time there,” the 6-foot-8 banger continued.
Still, it was mission accomplished for Gilas after taking down regional rival Indonesia in the semis and host Cambodia in the final.
Phillips himself made great contributions to the cause, averaging 5.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in five games played.
“Parang fairy tale.
“I was saying to my Kuya that God could not put that together. Ang galing talaga ng Indonesia and Cambodia. Alam naman natin na natalo tayo sa Indonesia last time then against Cambodia we just had to dig deep,” he expressed.
But the Phillips bros could not have made it without the help of one man.
Multiple-time PBA champion Christian Standhardinger was the one who guided the Phillips bros, helping them break into the team seamlessly.
“In our very first practice, kulang yung upuan sa practice. He walked all across the gym to get us chairs. Ever since then, he has been guiding us and taking us under his wing,” shared Mike.
However, the SEA Games will be the last time Michael Phillips and Standhardinger will share the court together with the national team.
On Saturday, the 6-foot-8 Filipino-German announced his retirement from Gilas, saying that the national team is in safe hands with Phillips and Brandon Rosser.
Hearing those words, Phillips could not help but gush, vowing to continue Standhardinger’s legacy in Gilas.
(C) Ariya Kurniawan
“C-Stan, that’s our big brother and our mentor. He’s the anchor of our team. Hearing those words means so much to me,” he said.
“I’m grateful to God to have someone like him in my life. Not just me but also the entire country. It’s just surreal. He’s my guy and he’s someone I look up to.”
