Norwood embraces role as Gilas defensive ace

MANILA, Philippines -- Gabe Norwood is making his mark as one of the best defenders in Asia with his superb effort on the defensive end earning him the respect of his peers and even their opponents.

His latest fan is former NBA first rounder Jarvis Hayes, whom Norwood forced to shot 7-of-17 from the floor including two consecutive air balls in the fourth quarter in Gilas’ rousing 80-70 win last night.

Hayes, the naturalized import of Qatar praised Norwood for his gallant defensive stand against him.  The tournament’s leading scorer wound up with quiet 17 points, including a non-bearing triple at the buzzer at the end.

"Norwood is a pretty good defender he is always in front of me and he made it a little tough for me especially in the endgame," said Hayes, the 10th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Norwood, for his part, is elated to hear that he was singled out by a player he's been watching since his highschool days.

"That is a huge compliment he was somebody I looked up to even when I was in high school when he was playing in Georgia in college. Then when I was in George Mason, I used to go to [Washington] Wizards game to watch him play," said Norwood, who was clearly ecstatic after hearing the acknowledgment.

"It was fun today, it was a challenge,” he added.  “He is an NBA player and for him to say all those things about me it makes me feel really good.”

The Rain or Shine stalwart prepared for Hayes by watching tapes and learning his tendencies.  Despite his strong individual play on defense, Norwood attributed his success to the team and coaching staff.

"He is really strong.  That is one thing you can’t realize on tape. There are certain things he does, like drive all the way to basket this way or pull that way and we used that to our advantage," said Norwood.

"But thanks to our team defense we played him well and our coaches did a good job on the scouting reports," he added.

Hayes and Norwood could meet again in the semifinals if both Qatar and Gilas Pilipinas hurdle past the quarterfinals.