It's now or never for Alapag, Gilas vs Korea

MANILA, Philippines – Jimmy Alapag has been around long enough to have seen how the country has failed on getting back to the world basketball stage.  

The latest came two years ago in Wuhan, China where the first Gilas Pilipinas team coached by Rajko Toroman came within two points away from the London Olympics.

Perennial tormentor South Korea dealt them a stinging 70-68 loss in the FIBA Asia bronze medal match where Gilas led by four in the final three minutes.

The Koreans, instead of the Filipinos, went on to join Jordan and China in the 12-team Olympic field in London.

For Alapag, it was the closest he came to earning a shot at playing with the elite teams in the planet.

Now at 35 and being the most senior in the team, Alapag is hoping to finally get the job done in his final tour of duty after several failed attempts in the past. 

He first joined the national team pool as a reserve in 2002, the same year South Korea gave the country the first of many heartbreaking losses on Lee Sang Min’s buzzer-beating triple.

Alapag has been a national team fixture since then.

This year, he might finally earned his final shot at the world stage and perhaps, breaking the Korean jinx when Gilas Pilipinas routed Kazakhstan, 88-58, to arrange a semifinal duel against South Korea, who dispatched Qatar, 79-52, in the nightcap.

 â€œIt [Kazakhstan] was the biggest game of the tournament for us up to this point,” Alapag told Philstar.com. “Tomorrow (Saturday) night becomes the biggest game of the tournament for us.”

 The national team skipper doesn’t want any repeat of the past disappointments. For him, it’s now or never.

“We’re going to take our best shot tomorrow (Saturday) night,” Alapag said.