Robert Bolick is leaving no room for anything but gold, knowing anything less could create sleepless nights as he chases a rare double-gold feat with Gilas Pilipinas at the 30th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
Bolick helped steer the national team to the gold medal nine months ago at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games. And he now has a chance to join elite company by winning gold in both tournaments, following in the footsteps of Justin Brownlee, Calvin Oftana, Chris Newsome, and Arvin Tolentino.
“Masaya siyempre. ‘Yung SEA Games namin wala kaming import, walang expectations na mag-go-gold kami. Ngayon, wala na namang import; baka masuwerteng na naman kami. Hopefully, makuha namin ‘yung gold para maganda. ‘’Di lang para sa amin, para sa team,” the NLEX star said.
“Baka hindi kami makatulog kasi ‘yung expectations din namin. Sana mag-gold kami,” he added.
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A FIBA World Cup veteran and one of the more experienced pieces in this Gilas Pilipinas lineup, Bolick will play a crucial role for Tim Cone’s squad in Nagoya. The Philippines will face Bahrain, Kazakhstan, and China in Group C as they look to defend their Asian Games crown.
Beyond his own role, however, Bolick is also eager to learn from his teammates while giving them something to learn from him. He hopes their blend of experience and youth can help the national team make another deep run.
“Siyempre nung pagpasok sa World Cup (nung 2019), ako ‘yung pinakabata eh. Parang ngayon si Don (Trollano) tapos ako na ‘yung pinakabeterano. So parang medyo tumatanda na rin talaga,” said the 30-year-old point guard.
“At the same time, masaya siyempre kasi nakikita ko ‘yung mga kapwa kong PBA players. Magagaling sila. Nakikita ko lang silang maglaro ngayon; nakakasama ko na, so masaya ako na meron din akong matututunan sa kanila, and hopefully may matututunan din sila sa akin,” he added.
The desire for gold may be strong, but Bolick does not want it to become a burden.
Instead, he hopes Gilas Pilipinas can play loose, stay on the same page, and keep the same mindset throughout the tournament, believing their shared goal will provide all the motivation.
“Hopefully, ‘yun nga, mas maganda ‘yung hindi masyadong may expectations para walang pressure eh. Hopefully, pagdating ng laro, biglang mas loose pa parang ganun,” said Bolick.
“Pero at the same time, magagaling ‘tong mga kalaban. So pag pare-pareho kami ng mindset, ma-accomplish ‘yung goal.”
