Gilas Pilipinas mainstay Troy Rosario says Asian countries now catching up
TROY ROSARIO isn’t a stranger playing in the international basketball scene.
So when his name was included in the Gilas Pilipinas squad that will play in the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia, the 6-foot-7 forward wasn’t surprised at all.
But he wants everybody in the squad not to take their rivals for granted as they’ve proven their mettle in the previous edition of the biennial meet.
“All games in the international level should be taken seriously,” Mr. Rosario told BusinessWorld in an interview. “You’re representing your country so you need to beat your opponent by big margin.”
Since 1989, the Philippines has been lording it over the men’s basketball competition, but two years ago in Singapore, teams like Thailand and Indonesia had shown it can compete with the Filipinos.
Thailand and Indonesia pushed the Pinoy cagers to the limit before Mr. Rosario and Kiefer Ravena bailed the team out of trouble to extend the country’s domination in this competition.
The last edition of the SEA Games was a reality check for the Filipinos.
“Teams in the Southeast Asian level are getting better and stronger,” added Mr. Rosario, who has played in different levels in the international cage scene, including the SEA Games, the FIBA Asia Championship, the 3x3 World Cup and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Mr. Rosario considers this new role as a big challenge as he will be among the more experienced players leading the young squad.
He will join top PBA prospects Kiefer Ravena, Ray Parks, and US NCAA player Kobe Paras among others in the team.