Philippines, 12 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


The music, the dream die for Gilas


PhilBoxing.com




THE great heart, the great talent have all gone to waste for the Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team.

A full twenty-fours after young Terence Romeo was celebrated and cheered as he tip-toed, zig-zagged, and winged hot past stunned foreign defenders, the colorful national team star was stuck cold on the hardcourt, trying to thwart catcalls from many disappointed Filipino fans.

He would beg those who doubted them??yung mga nag-duda sa amin??to just be proud of what the Gilas team had done.

**

Sorry, but the lavishly funded Gilas national basketball team went flat out in its first two games, against France and New Zealand, to promptly drop its dream of making it to the Rio Summer Olympics next month.

Gilas Pilipinas did fan hopes with its respectable stand against France. The team however delivered a national heartache following its loss to New Zealand, a day after President Duterte was gleefully acclaimed by a fullhouse crowd at the Mall of Asia, where he made the inaugural toss for the Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

In Mr. Duterte?s case, he definitely got the ovation after readily delivering on his promise of genuine change, boldly linking several police generals to the multi-billion-peso illegal drug trade, while pushing with gun powder and iron fist the furious nationwide chase after drug pushers and addicts.

**

On the other hand, the Gilas team?s performance in the Manila OQT would cause widespread disappointment. For the record the Gilas national national squad was readily rated a long shot after it was bracketed with powerhouse France, seeded 5th in the world, and New Zealand. However, after a sensational losing stand against France on opening day, a performance which drew raves from NBA legend Tony Parker himself, big expectations spread through national basketball scenery.

There were also stronger possibilities for Gilas against lower-ranked New Zealand, all for the fact that national coach Tad Baldwin supposedly knew the opposing team like the back of his palm.

**

The unexpected happened against New Zealand, and everybody was aghast. Gilas sputtered from tip-off, tried to catch up, and was left huffing and puffing by the taller, stronger, sharper Big Blacks.

Questions predictably got raised, but what clearly surfaced was the Gilas team?s lack of cohesion and depth.

For his part, coach Baldwin would blame the setback on short preparation and lack of enough foreign competitions.

**

There were other objective observations:

?As long as our team gets together only in such short a time before a major competition, we must all be prepared for another disappointment,? explained former national contingent chief statistician Joseph Dumuk. ?As I kept saying, lavish micro-management would all be wasted if the team does not get enough time to compete together.?

Dumuk added that Gilas, inferior as it was in height and manpower, was hopelessly deficient in maturity and cohesion.

**

?Gilas never had a shot from the start,? noted veteran sportswriter Percy Della, who does a weekly column for the Inquirer. ?Manny V. Pangilinan was just wasting his money. We don?t have the players to succeed in high-level international competitions. Period.?

After the music and the dream have died for the Gilas national team comes a strong call for all those involved to rethink the national basketball development program.

?They can disband Gilas and form a new team, but what we need here is a strong base, a sound national basketball development program,? said Councilor Louie Espinosa of Mandaluyong City. ?Hindi ?yung pulot nang pulot maski saan.?


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Recah Trinidad.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
    , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • 4 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights”
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN
    , Tue, 08 Jul 2025
  • UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA
    , Mon, 07 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.