After two years of playing together, Smart-Gilas Pilipinas’ true grit will be tested when the Filipino basketball players travel to Wuhan, China in their quest to put the country back in the global basketball map this September 15-25.
The tournament in Wuhan, China is nothing more than the FIBA-Asia championships — where the toughest national teams from basketball powerhouses like China, South Korea and even Arab countries like Iran and Lebanon pose as the Filipinos’ biggest roadblocks. The winner in the Wuhan Asian basketball joust gets the lone berth for the Longdon Olympics next year.
It has been 39 years since the Philippines last made it to the Olympics in Munich, Spain where the Filipinos, posted a 3-6 win-loss record en route to a ninth-place finish.
The Philippine national squad has been blessed with a patron in the person of Manny V. Pangilinan, whose telecommunications company Smart has sponsored the RP five’s various international stint in its preparation for the FIBA-Asia cage tournament.
I’ve watched the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas play in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup during their semifinal match up against Iran (backed by two imports), and if not for some missed jumpers in the final minute of the match, I think the Filipinos could have even made it to the gold-medal round.
But even though Smart-Gilas wound up fourth eventually, head coach Rajko Toromas told media men at the weekly PSA Sports Forum that he is optimistic with the national five’s medal chances in Wuhan, China.
And this afternoon (July 13), Smart-Gilas has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against Los Angeles Laker star guard Kobe Bryant, whose currently in town at the start of his five-city Asian tour.
Mark Barroca, the former FEU playmaker and now co-manning the point guard chores for Smart-Gilas couldn’t hide his excitement over the chance to see and play against Kobe. (Got to know him and eventually invited him to our Victory group. Currently, he joins us during Sunday lunch Victory group after the 11am service.)
Mark said he feels very blessed to be part of the Smart-Gilas team, saying he has learned so much from coach Toroman, and now, he even gets a chance to play against a legitimate NBA star in Kobe Bryant.
It sure is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience playing against Kobe. Enjoy it Mark. And may that experience help you further as you serve as co-point guard for Smart-Gilas Pilipinas.