It was a Saturday full of nostalgia for Jimmy Alapag as he stepped onto the sidelines at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay for the first time as a PBA head coach.
The venue holds a special place in his heart — and in Philippine basketball history — as it was there that he helped the Philippines finally break the so-called “Korean curse” in 2013, ending the country’s long wait for a return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
“I walked in the same entrance that we exited when we beat Korea,” shared the former Gilas Pilipinas captain shortly after leading the NLEX Road Warriors past Converge, 119-107, for their fifth win in as many games in the Season 50 Governors’ Cup.
“It just brought back a lot of great memories of that night. Especially to be able to walk in with my eight-year-old — he wasn’t born yet, but hopefully later on, he’ll understand the magnitude of what we did that night.“
As many die-hard fans know, Alapag knocked down the dagger triple with 54 seconds left en route to the 86-79 victory over the Koreans in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Men semifinals, tearing the whole place down.
Thanks in large part to his leadership and the team’s collective effort, the Philippines returned to the global basketball stage.
The dramatic victory ended the nation’s nearly four-decade wait for a FIBA World Cup appearance.
Alapag and the rest of Gilas erupted in celebration as the buzzer rang, with then-head coach Chot Reyes overcome by emotions on the sidelines.
“Just a special moment being back in Mall of Asia,” reflected the 48-year-old, 13 years after the feat that remains one of the program’s defining moments.
“Very special memories not just for the program, but for the country. And to be able to walk back through these doors is pretty special.”
Nostalgia has been a recurring theme in Jimmy Alapag’s homecoming after his six-year stint as a player development coach, and it will continue next week.
But Tuesday’s game could be his most significant yet, as he and NLEX next take on TNT at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
For the first time as a PBA head coach, the “Mighty Mouse” will face the franchise he helped build and engage in a tactical battle against the same coach with whom he shared so much success — 62-year-old Chot Reyes.
“Guess we’re gonna continue with the nostalgia going into Tuesday,” he said. “Obviously, there is a lot of history there. A lot of great memories there.
“Some of the guys who I played with are still there—obviously Jayson [Castro], and Ranidel [de Ocampo] and Ryan {Reyes] on the coaching staff.”
Still, Alapag chooses to keep his focus on the task at hand, which is to try to prepare his men to continue what’s been a perfect run thus far.
“But again, we have a job to do for NLEX, and we’ll get back to work tomorrow and shift our focus to get ready for Tuesday,” he said.
