By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
eGilas Pilipinas head coach Nite Alparas expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Philippine national NBA2K team for their commendable performance in the eFIBA Season 3 World Finals, even as they replicated last year’s fourth-place finish.
eGilas opened their campaign on a high note, securing back-to-back victories on the first day. The team defeated New Zealand, 113-85, and Turkey, 118-108, immediately earning a coveted spot in the semifinals against Team USA.
On the second day, the squad faced a nail-biting challenge in their delayed final group-stage match against Brazil. After narrowly losing the first game, 56-58, eGilas rebounded with a gritty 52-47 win in the second game, solidifying their position in the knockout stages.
However, the semifinals proved to be a familiar hurdle, as the Filipinos once again fell to the dominant Americans in straight games, 67-46 and 73-60, on December 12 at the SMX Clark Convention Center in Pampanga.
With a chance to secure third place still within reach, eGilas started strong in their best-of-three battle against Portugal. Lynard “ZavaLCB” Banzon shone in Game 1, delivering 16 points and eight assists to lead the team to a thrilling 54-51 victory.
Unfortunately, Portugal rallied in the following games, completing a reverse sweep with 57-45 and 48-46 victories to claim third place. This marked the second consecutive year the Philippines finished in fourth place at the prestigious tournament.
“Sobrang proud ako sa team kasi kahit ganoon man yung kinalabasan, ay naging maganda rin naman yung naging run namin dito sa tournament na ‘to,” said Coach Alparas in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
eGilas’ preparation for the tournament was an exhaustive process, with the top 25 players in the country competing for a spot on the roster. The final lineup featured Isaiah “Ice2Fast” Alindada, Kenneth “Clue” Gutierrez, Julian “Social” Mallillin, Prich “DonPriich” Diez, and ZavaLCB, who were all carefully selected to represent the Philippines on the global stage.
As for the team’s future, Coach Alparas hinted at potential changes in the roster for next year’s World Finals. While the current lineup brought valuable experience, he acknowledged that adjustments might be necessary to improve their chances of success.
“Honestly hindi ko pa sure. ‘Yung lineup namin ngayon, eto yung lineup namin last year. Pero hindi natin sure kung sila yung lalaro for next year, pero hopefully makabawi yung eGilas,” he remarked.
Despite the bittersweet ending, Alparas extended his gratitude to the fans who supported eGilas throughout the tournament. He expressed hope for their continued encouragement in the future.
“Sa lahat ng nanood and pumunta dito sa SMX Clark, nanood sa Twitch, sa YouTube. Salamat sa suporta niyo. Sana next year suportahan niyo pa rin kami,” he concluded.
