It isn’t lost on Gilas Pilipinas team captain Robert Bolick that he and some of his gold-medal-winning teammates weren’t even supposed to be in Thailand going for gold in the men’s 5×5 basketball tournament in the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).
The big guns—Justin Brownlee, Angelo Kouame, and Remy Martin, to name a few—had already said yes as early as September, but Thailand kept changing the rules on eligibility, forcing the national team coach to make last-minute changes to his roster. Bolick, of course, was one of the players Black got to reinforce a suddenly “weaker” team, along with PBA peers Poy Erram, Abu Tratter, and Dalph Panopio.
Black’s ragtag squad only had a little over a week to prepare, with Erram literally getting last-minute approval from the Thai SEA Games organizers after previously being barred from joining. Whatever the reasoning behind these eligibility decisions, Bolick and company took it as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Philippines’ chances of securing another SEA Games gold.
So, when Gilas Pilipinas defied the odds and still came out on top, Berto was predictably fired up, putting on the “Night-Night” celly in front of a stunned Thai contingent that was so confident of dethroning the usual kings of Southeast Asian 5×5 hoops.
Bolick Has a Parting Shot
Bolick wasn’t done. In a postgame scrum with reporters, the prolific NLEX Road Warrior had a few choice words for Thailand and alluded to the whole eligibility brouhaha.
“‘Di ko akalain kami pa mapapasama. Sabi ko nga kanina, kahit kami gusto namin mapanood sina Remy Martin, [Mike Phillips], [Justin] Brownlee. Kahit kami gusto namin makita ‘yun e… Akala nila kung kami lang, madali. So, pagpunta namin rito, naka-mindset kami na mananalo talaga,” Bolick said.
It wasn’t easy, though. Gilas had some anxious moments in each of its four games in Bangkok, including slow starts and double-digit deficits to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. But each time Gilas rallied, with Bolick and fellow late additions Erram and Panopio often serving as anchors. Against Thailand, the national team also had to deal with an overly generous whistle in favor of—who else?—the hosts (something Berto also panned).
“Team effort ito. Wala na akong masabi,” added Berto. “Binigay namin ‘yung best namin. Hinarang na sa labas, pumunta pa rin. Lahat ginawa nila, kaya special sa ‘min ‘to.”
