by James De VeraGilas Pilipinas fell short in their campaign, finishing only in 9th place in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 held at the Twelve Thousand People Sports Hall in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
The young national squad, which had no PBA players on its roster, had a hard time keeping up with their bigger and more experienced counterparts as team PH failed to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in the history of the tourney. It was a nightmarish start for Gilas as they were stunned by a gritty Indian team, 91-83, in their opening game. Things got worse for the Philippines in the second day as Chinese Taipei outguns the young squad, 87-76. Gilas Pilipinas suffered another beating in the third day, losing to Asian powerhouse China, 75-65. In Day 4, the Philippines finally stopped their three-game losing streak as they shut down a rugged Kazakhstan team, 98-86. However, their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals have been shattered into pieces with India and Jordan’s win against their respective opponents later that day. Gilas tried to end their tournament on a high note, but the Jordanians were just too hot to handle as they lose, 119-105. Versatile forward Rey Mark Belo led the Nationals in scoring and rebounding with 20.2 points and 7.2 boards per game. The team’s lack of height, size and experience proves to be a big factor in this tournament as Gilas Pilipinas concludes their campaign with a 1-4 win-loss record. This letdown has led to numerous disappointed fans bashing the newly formed national team in the social media. On the positive side, this tournament should be an eye-opener for the national team for them to field a taller and more competitive team in the competitions to come as our fellow Asian nations are getting more competitive every year.
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