MVP lauds commitment, sacrifices of Gilas members

After watching the final practice session of Gilas Pilipinas yesterday, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Manny V. Pangilinan is convinced the Nationals are now prepared to wage war against the finest in the region when the FIBA Asia Championship begins on Wednesday in Changsha, China.

One reason why Pangilinan is upbeat is because of the enthusiasm the Nationals showed in their final training session at the Meralco Gym in Ortigas, Pasig City.

More than that, they’re all healthy and totally focused with their mission.

“The team looks healthy, the team now is complete so they can focus. You could sense the extreme high moral,” said Pangilinan. “I think they are mighty proud of playing for the Philippines, and that’s what’s important.”

“These guys are enthusiastic; they are committed and dedicated to playing for the national team and the country. That’s worth a lot.”

“They don’t treat it like a job, like they were forced to it, like they were persuaded. It’s because they want to join the national team,” added Pangilinan after the practice session that lasted nearly three hours.

The national team is in Group B of the Asian championship and will open its campaign against Palestine on Wednesday, and will next face Hong Kong before it tackles Kuwait in the final day of preliminary round on Friday.

The top three teams will join the top three from Group A, which has India, Japan, Malaysia and defending champion Iran in the second round, and Pangilinan said he is set to travel to China in time for the Iran game like on Sept. 29.

In Group C are China, South Korea, Jordan and Singapore while in Group D are Taiwan, Lebanon, Qatar and Kazakhstan – with the top three from each group will form Group F.

The event serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics, with the winner earning that lone slot for the region in the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“My wish is that the team could make it to Rio, which means winning this FIBA Asia qualifier,” said Pangilinan.

“I thank the players for making a great sacrifice personally,” said Pangilinan. “I’m sure they will be away from their families. I thank the (PBA) teams that contributed their players, we’re very grateful to the teams.”