Gilas to use building block for future

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas’ unexpected semifinal finish in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia was described as a “building block” that will be a cornerstone for the future with the national team committed to stay together in facing more international challenges ahead.

Gilas lead assistant coach and team manager Richard del Rosario said losing to Brazil in the semis was “painful” but it’s not the end of the road. “Coach Tim (Cone) told us while this was painful, we can look back at it later on and see this as a building block for our future success as we keep this team together,” said Del Rosario.

The 71-60 defeat to World No. 12 Brazil brought down the curtains on World No. 37 Gilas in the quest for an Olympic ticket. “No excuses, Brazil outplayed us in the second half,” continued Del Rosario. “We didn’t respond well to their physical play and panicked when we lost our lead. AJ (Edu), Scottie (Thompson) and Jamie (Malonzo) would’ve given us more versatility but it’s hard to say if it would change the outcome.”

Gilas put up a swashbuckling stand against Brazil despite Kai Sotto sitting out and lacking Edu, Thompson and Malonzo. “Missing a player like Kai was absolutely devastating,” said Gilas assistant coach Sean Chambers. “He would’ve been a complete game-changer with his size and sure presence on the court. We tried to get him ready in 24 hours. We just couldn’t push it to risk further injury. That put a big extra load on June Mar (Fajardo) and Japeth (Aguilar) to manage the middle. Certainly, Edu would have brought support to our frontline in case somebody went down like what happened. And having somebody like Scottie or Jamie, who already know the triangle system, would’ve also been tremendous during the tough parts of the game.”