With the fans getting bored as Gilas Pilipinas was blowing out Vietnam late in the third frame, they decided to have a little fun.
Early in the final frame, the crowd inside the arena decided to do a shot clock countdown whenever the Vietnamese were in possession of the ball. Their countdown though was at least 10 seconds earlier than the actual shot clock.
And the “prank” worked as Thahn Nhan Nguyen and Vu Linh Tran fell for it, throwing heaves that drew laughs from the arena. Even Vietnam head coach Donte Hill got a kick out of it.
“I thought it was clever.
“It showed the kind of commitment the fans have, they make sure they give their effort, they believe in their team, they support their team, and so it was very clever and I got a kick out of it,” Hill commended.
For him, his players fell for it because his players are not used to being in this kinds of situations as basketball is still a growing spot in Vietnam.
“All of it because my players are not used to that. One of the biggest thing is our players are not used in this kind of competition,” Hill furthered after Gilas’ 107-52 over Vietnam that dropped the latter to a 1-4 record.
“I told them before the game, this is going be the best competition probably you’ll be playing from a team standpoint so take advantage of it, enjoy the moment and live through it. Be aggressive and give your best effort.”
Hill believes that being in this situation would only help in the growth of his team.
“It was a great moment because you have to be mindful in the moment and you can’t get lost in the translation of what’s going on outside your mind,” he said about his team that has an average age of 28.44 years old.
“I told them you got to listen to the right voices, you got to listen to your voice, my voice, to the team’s voice. This is one of the things about playing on the road. As a basketball player, you have to be close your mind and focus on that moment and that’s the key to be successful.”
Vietnam ends its campaign on Thursday, May 18 when they face Singapore.
