BOCAUE — Scottie Thompson’s missed free throws in Gilas Pilipinas’ final FIBA World Cup Qualifier game against Jordan became the talk of the town on Monday evening.
In a tightly contested endgame that saw Gilas rally from 25 down and cut the Falcons’ lead down to one, Thompson’s crucial misses from the charity stripe was one of the many endgame misses the hosts had that eluded them from a comeback.
And the misses left a lot of Filipinos disappointed at the Philippine Arena here.
After the game, Thompson apologized for his mistakes, saying that he would learn from them.
“Biggest missed free throws ko to sa career ko. I’m gonna learn from this.
“Sobrang dami kong nabigong mga Pilipino. Masakit po for me, but I think eto yung pinaka best na [reminder] sakin na I have to get better pa,” said the reigning PBA Most Valuable Player.
It was really not meant to be for Gilas as a miss from Bobby Ray Parks Jr. at the death led to a 90-91 loss to close out their 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers campaign.
Still, Gilas would not have had a chance to steal the game without his all-around effort. The 6-foot-1 native of Davao tallied nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and a steal and was a plus-12 when he was on the floor. His net rating was equal to Jamie Malonzo’s.
Despite his crucial misses, Thompson remained grateful that the learning opportunity came now rather than in a much higher stakes game.
“Yung learning na to good thing dito nangyari. Hindi sa World Cup or sa mas crucial na laro. So thankful pa din ako na nangyari sakin to ngayon,” he said.
Thompson also expressed his love for his Gilas brothers, saying that they still had his back despite his mistakes. He acknowledged that they were a team and had each other’s backs.
“Nandun sila sa likod ko. Good thing kasi talagang we’re brothers, we got each other’s back so yun nga malaking natutunan ko to sa career ko,” said Thompson.
“I have to be more better and work on my free throws.”
