Vargas wish: Get us a medal
Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas stood in front of the Gilas Pilipinas players and issued the marching orders.
“We expect you to do better, perhaps get us a medal,” Vargas said Monday, the first day of practice for the team bound for the Asian Games.
Coach Yeng Guiao has very limited time to get things going, after weeks of uncertainty on the Philippine team’s participation in men’s basketball in Indonesia. But they have no other choice. Vargas thanked the players for responding to the late call, and cited Rain or Shine co-owner Raymund Yu for allowing the core of his team to be part of the campaign.
The POC chief watched the team practice at the Meralco Gym in Pasig, and then extolled the players assembled in front of him.
“You are not going to Jakarta as a team of 12 but as part of a team of 272 (Filipino) athletes and officials. Carry the Philippine flag proudly and show your heart by how you play. Let the Filipino fan see and feel it. We will be there,” Vargas said.
“You cannot let the public down and you cannot let your fellow athletes down. Our objective is to improve on our last performance in the Asian Games. In 2014, we were seventh,” Vargas told the team.
“So you cannot be eighth or worse. Neither can you be seventh because that will not be an improvement,” he added.
A medal, of any color, would be magical.
“If that happens, we will truly have reason to celebrate. We might even send a band over to Jakarta,” Vargas said.
The last time the Philippines won a medal in basketball in the Asian Games was in 1998 in Bangkok – a bronze. That was 20 years ago.