MANILA, Philippines - What’s it in us that losing a hard-fought game in the Fiba World Cup could bring so much ache and pain?
What’s it in us that we felt a deep sense of history for stealing one win that brought us out of a 40-year limbo? One game that had all the country seized by the throat, where time stood still for 45 pulsating minutes. It was the end of the Gilas Pilipinas saga in the world stage of the best in basketball.
End of a mission to recall all the respect and recognition that was long due us, given fresh start that 11 days in August 2013 where we emerged second best in Asia.
It reached its ultimate test six days in Seville where Gilas waged a whale of a fight against five powerhouse qualifiers. It lost the battle but won the war for hearts and minds.
We were back and entrenched among the hoopsdom’s best.
We have shown we were never impoverished in character and heart but the road to Seville was only the start of a long journey.
As MVP once tweeted and recalling Robert Frost: “We are still miles away.”
But the woods are no longer dark and deep.