Belga brings extra cup of guile and guts to Gilas

MANILA, Philippines – The Beau Belga’s “epic shot fake” is about to go international.

Belga finally got the green light to join the rest of the Gilas Pilipinas pool in Lithuania with the approval of his visa yesterday.  He will leave the country at 8pm tonight on a long 21-hour flight to Palanga, Lithuania where the national pool is holding camp for the next two weeks. (read also: Gilas Diaries: 2-week Lithuania camp begins)

“Hindi pa nagsi-sink-in na napasama ako sa pool. Sobrang masaya na medyo may konting pressure,” Belga told Philstar.com on the day of his departure. “Hindi lang basta PBA team ang dinadala ko ngayon, buong Pilipinas na. Siyempre, gusto ko maipakita ang kakayahan ko.”

The wide-bodied banger earned an invitation to join the injury-plagued pool with his impressive showing against the Gilas Pilipinas and Shanghai Sharks exhibition games last month.

Two days after Belga shot 15 points against Gilas in Davao, the Rain or Shine big man caught Yao Ming’s Shanghai Sharks flat-footed with his patented shot fake on his way to 16 points and nine boards.  Shortly after the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, he was invited to join the pool as practice player but got the biggest surprise of his life when he was told to join the team in Lithuania.     

“Ine-expect ko nung una, practice player lang ako,” Belga said. Talagang hindi ko in-expect na makakasama ako sa Lithuania. Para sa akin napakalaking achievement na ang makasama sa national pool.”

Belga confessed that he already cut down his intake of extra rice and extra-curricular activities at night to prepare for the two-week sojourn.

“Sa kanila makukundisyon ka talaga. Iba yung ensayo sa national team kaysa sa PBA. Mas mahirap. Sa kanila talagang takbuhan,” Belga said. “Kung wala ka sa kundisyon, titirik ka talaga.”

It helped that Belga is used to banging bodies against bigger and quicker imports. He already has an inkling of what to expect in Lithuania having played against European league veteran 7-3 Bruno Sundov in their daily practice in Rain or Shine last conference.

“Si Bruno [Sundov] malaki na mabilis at pisikal ring maglaro. Ine-expect ko na ganun rin ang labanan dun. Excited nga ako. Ang goal ko ay subukin kung hanggang saan ang kakayahan ko laban sa malalaking players dun,” Belga added.

He knows by heart that his five-year PBA career is more defined by his brute force in giving up fouls and pushing away bigger rivals inside the paint than his scoring which extends to the three-point arc.

Belga’s five-year PBA resume may pale in comparison to the rest of the star-studded national pool but he has an extra cup of guile and guts aside from “extra rice” to bring in to the table.

“Kahit anong role ang ibigay sa akin, tatanggapin ko. Hindi ako yung klaseng player na nagbaba-back down sa challenge,” Belga said. “Ako kasi yung player na hindi kailangang umiskor eh. Mas gusto ko yung dumedepensa ako kesa umiiskor.”