Author: Roi Ciruela
The 2024 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) was a pivotal moment for Team Gilas Pilipinas as they battled for a chance to compete in the Summer Olympics. Now that the tournament has concluded, it’s an excellent time to revisit and celebrate their standout performances and memorable moments. Here’s a look back at the top highlights from their remarkable campaign in Riga:
5. The Unorthodox Backcourt Duo
It was very noticeable that Gilas Pilipinas did not have a True Traditional Point Guard in the lineup. Instead, we got two amazing guards who served as Swiss Army knives if they combined with each other:
- Chris Newsome, our recent PBA Finals MVP, was pestering all of our opponents’ guards with his defense. You may not see that in the stat sheet but his defensive pressure was crucial in the games against Georgia and Latvia.
- Dwight Ramos, our Pinoy Rukawa, led the whole team in Efficiency. His timely shooting and penetration ensured our victory over Latvia. On top of that, he is our 3rd best rebounder for the whole tournament with an average of 5 Rebounds per Game.
4. The Legendary Kraken, June Mar Fajardo
JMF, despite his Legendary career in the PBA, got a good number of criticisms regarding his ability to step up in the International Stage. People were critical about his age and speed. All of this was proven wrong after being one of the team leaders in Points, Efficiency, and Rebounds. The 7-time MVP did an amazing job anchoring our frontcourt, especially after Kai Sotto’s injury.
3. The Coach Tim Cone Effect
It has been proven again that most success stories rise and fall through good leadership. CTC proved that in his OQT run he implemented a better and clearer identity for our National Team. Everybody embraced their roles. The Ball movement and Defense are way better. Aside from that, the way he effectively utilized his players like CJ Perez who was a fire starter off the bench was very masterful.
2. Unleash Kaiju, Kai Sotto
There were a lot of instances to be proud about Kai Sotto but his performance against Latvia was the icing on top. It was beyond his 18 Points 8 Rebounds and 1 Block performance. His presence really skewed the opponent’s offensive flow. He is not yet within the level of Victor Wembanyama but both of them have similar influence on the court because of their defensive skill set. On the other side of the floor, Kai was actively creating space for himself to either score or get a rebound. His ability to finish lobs clears up the size advantage against Gilas.
1. The Best Filipino Import, Justin Brownlee
In the game against the World’s 6th Best Basketball Team – Latvia. Justin Brown Lee erupted with 26 Points, 9 Rebounds, 9 Assists, and 3 Snipes. The most iconic play for Gilas in this tournament was his Four Point Play Dagger in the 4th Quarter. There were no questions about why he is one of the All-Star Five Awardees and also one of the top candidates for MVP. But beyond all of these stats and achievements, there is one big reason why we all love him – It’s because he plays with the Heart of a Filipino and he plays for the Heart of Filipinos.
*Photo Credit: FIBA PHOTOS
