Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Philippine basketball atoned for the heartbreaks of the past years with momentous achievements one after another this 2023.
From the record crowd in the PBA, the success of Gilas, the spectacular staging of the FIBA World Cup, and of course, the country’s golden ascent to the Asian summit, the year offered plenty of good memories to look back on.
Golden end to a 61-year wait
Easily the biggest moment of the year was when Gilas Pilipinas ended a 61-year title drought in the Asian Games.
Bannered by a hastily built lineup formed just barely two weeks before the continental showpiece, the Filipinos fought through every adversity to cop the gold medal that shattered the series of misfortunes that befell the past Gilas teams in the past year.
Justin Brownlee seized the spotlight in what turned out to be his most clutch performance in his career when he dropped 17 of his 34 points to power Gilas to a 77-76 win over host China in the semifinals.
The well-loved Gilas naturalized player drilled back-to-back long bombs – a tough step back trey and another fadeaway triple over the outstretched arms of defenders – to cap a blazing 10-0 finishing kick and stun the mighty China.
Gilas would not be denied from there as heroes came in different sizes for the Filipinos with guys like Ange Kouame, Chris Newsome and Kevin Alas delivering in the tense-filled 70-60 victory over Jordan in the gold medal match.
Record crowd for the PBA
Perhaps an early indication of a great year ahead was when the PBA broke its attendance record to begin 2023. On Jan. 15, Barangay Ginebra won the Commissioner’s Cup title against guest team Bay Area before a huge 54,589 crowd inside the humongous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Justin Brownlee, just like what he usually does, finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Kings to a 114-99 victory over the Dragons – a heroic which he would then replicate in a few months time, that instance, with Gilas in the Asian Games.
Ginebra would then figure in another title clash but this time, Brownlee erstwhile perfect run in the Finals would come to an end against the TNT in the Governors’ Cup finals.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, along with Mikey Williams, RR Pogoy and Jason Castro, powered the Tropang Giga to a 97-93 win in Game 6 and bagged their very first Governor’s Cup title since joining the league. It was also the first title of Jojo Lastimosa as head coach for the team.
Banner year for the Gilas program
Speaking of Gilas, the national teams, as usual, were on the spotlight for the most parts of the year. But unlike in their previous performances, the Nationals made great strides this year – from the youth teams, to the women’s and, of course, the men’s squad.
The Gilas Boys jumped two spots in the world rankings, landing at the 25th spot overall and fourth in Asia just behind powerhouses China, Iran and Australia. That was largely due to the boys’ splendid performance in the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championships last September where they finished fourth and, more importantly, booked a spot to the U17 World Cup.
The tournament also saw the introduction of the national team’s future talents in the like of Kieffer Alas who was hailed as part of the tournament All-Star Five.
On the distaff side, the Girls also contributed to the Gilas program’s success this year after earning a Division A promotion after reigning supreme in the FIBA U16 Asian Championships Division B last July.
The Filipinas swept the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record as they lined themselves up against region powerhouses Australia, Japan and China next year.
The women’s team also had a breakthrough year when it turned heads in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Australia last June. After a pair of close calls and heartbreaks in the group stage, the Nationals defeated Chinese Taipei, 92-81, to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time since their promotion in 2015.
Vanessa De Jesus provided the big lift for the Filipinas in that game, finishing with 25 points, joining hands with Gilas mainstays Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos.
Historic and successful FIBA World Cup hosting
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, along with the FIBA World Cup Organizing Committee, successfully staged the biggest basketball tournament right on the Filipinos’ home soil.
The basketball-crazy Filipino fans helped FIBA break its attendance record when a total of 38,115 fans trooped to the Philippine Arena to watch the match between Gilas and the Dominican Republic.
The Nationals may have suffered heartbreaks one after another during their run in the tournament but were easily eased by Gilas’ 96-75 win over bitter rival China in its final game. Jordan Clarkson torched the Chinese with 23 points in the most explosive quarter he had in the tournament in the third frame.
He finished with 34 points not only to help Gilas avoid another winless run in the global showpiece but also to keep the country’s chase for the Olympic berth after securing a slot in the Olympic Qualifying tournament with its 24th place finish.
Even without Gilas, though, fans continued to gather at the Mall of Asia Arena during the knockout stage, witnessing the historic first World Cup title for the Dennis Schroder-led Germany after completing an eight-game sweep of the tournament. — Reynald I. Magallon
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
