Scottie Thompson asserted that he begged off from Gilas Pilipinas not for himself, but more “para sa bayan.”
The do-it-all guard said as much in the wake of his decision to beg off from playing for the national team, which is currently preparing for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China this August.
Thompson confessed that decided to leave the program for the time being because he feels like he isn’t yet fully equipped to play on the international stage, a reason which Guiao and Gilas accepted.
“Para sa’kin kasi, hindi pa. Talagang ang dami pang ii-improve,” said Thompson, who played for five games in the Asian Qualifiers’ second round and normed 2.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists
“I think yung pinaka-best way ko na maitulong para sa bayan is to give way sa mga mas deserving maglaro, at mas ready sa international stage.”
Thompson expressed his confidence with the current Gilas backcourt, which features young stars such as PBA rookies CJ Perez and Robert Bolick, as well as the returning Kiefer Ravena.
“Balik naman na si Kiefer. Then sina Bolick, sina CJ. [They are] Good [for the team] para sa’kin,” he said.
For Thompson, he feels that what he needs to work on is his offense, so that he’ll be more capable should the opportunity of playing for flag and country knock on his door again.
“Siguro yung offense ko. Ipo-polish ko yung offense ko,” said the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel star.
“Sana soon dumating and siyempre para mas maging confident pa ‘ko sa sarili ko.”
Asked if there will be a chance that he will visit Gilas practices, Thompson said that he will always support the team. He even expressed his willingness to join practices should they need extra bodies.
“Oo naman, oo naman. ‘Pag may chance na kulang yung bodies sa practice, makakatulong din naman ako.”
