Gilas Pilipinas suffers heartbreak against China

Gilas Pilipinas settled for silver in the FIBA Asia Championship after bowing to host team China, 78-67, during their title clash in Changsha late Saturday.

With their superior height and better shooting, the Chinese squad managed to maintain a consistent gap starting from the second quarter.

The Chinese went 9-of-24 from the three-point line and made the most of their free throw attempts by sinking 21 out of 33 charities.

Ailun Guo had 19 points for China, which also got 16 markers from Qi Zhuo.

Andray Blatche paced the Filipinos with 17 points and five rebounds. He is the only Gilas player who managed to tally a double-digit output.

Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo had nine points each for the blue shirts, while Jayson Castro was held to only eight markers.

The Filipinos had a strong start, engaging China in a tight game during the first quarter. But the Chinese had a breakout second quarter while holding Gilas to merely 16 points for a 46-35 halftime lead.

Blatche and Castro tried to rally the Philippine side in the third quarter, but could get no closer than five points.

China eventually secured the title and the automatic qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

But prior the game, the host country apparently used dirty tactics to put the Philippine team in a disadvantage.

 The Filipinos' travel to the stadium was delayed after their electric coaster did not arrive on time due to lack of charge.

Upon arriving at the contest venue, the Chinese utility men were seen fixing Gilas' ring while China was already doing their practice shots at the other end.

These situations robbed Gilas of precious practice time.

The Philippines still has a chance to compete in the Games with another Olympic Qualifying Tournament coming up in July 2016. The winners will be able to join the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.

Meanwhile, former champion Iran settled for the bronze medal by beating Japan, 68-63.

Malacanang congratulated Gilas Pilipinas for their achievement.

"We join the Filipino people in celebrating Gilas Pilipinas’ silver medal finish in the 2015 FIBA Asia Basketball Championships. Throughout this tournament, our team displayed the Philippine brand of selfless, creative, passionate basketball, fuelled by the warm and vocal support of Filipinos at home and abroad. Our people have shown the world what it means to be Filipino, and this serves as inspiration for all of us to work even harder in our respective endeavors, fulfill our individual potentials, and secure the national pride we have reclaimed, one success after another, in varying fields," Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

"We congratulate our players, our coaches, and supporters, and we encourage all our countrymen to continue their support for our athletes in general, and for Gilas Pilipinas in particular, as they continue to pursue our collective basketball dream of landing a berth in the 2016 Olympics."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Senate grants Blatche Filipino citizenship

MANILA – Brooklyn Nets forward Andray Blatche was granted Filipino citizenship by the Philippine Senate on Monday, paving the way for his inclusion into the line-up of the national basketball team that will compete in the FIBA World Cup in Spain this August.

The Senate approved on the third and final reading Committee Report No. 27 on House Bill No. 4084, sponsored by Senator Sonny Angara, with 20 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstention.

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes welcomed the news, tweeting: "Blatche bill approved on third reading with affirmative vote of 20-0. Thank you Senate! Thank you Congress!"



The 6-foot-11 Blatche was the 49th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2005 NBA Rookie Draft. He currently plays for the Nets, and averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this year. He has career averages of 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

The House of Representatives approved Blatche's application last month. Blatche’s papers will now be transmitted to the Office of the President for the chief executive's signing.

"Blatche has openly expressed his desire to play for the Philippines," said Angara. "He is in a position, at age 28, to make significant contributions to Philippine basketball and accordingly, eligible for the conferment of the honor of being a Philippine citizen."

"Blatche is possibly the best center from the NBA that we can get who is willing to shun more lucrative offers now and in the future just to be part of our national team," he added.

Blatche, according to a report by Joaquin Henson of The Philippine Star, has also submitted a sworn affidavit reaffirming his commitment to Gilas Pilipinas.

"It would be very intriguing to learn how to communicate with the (Filipino) language. However, my focus will be on playing basketball and interacting with my teammates and the fans of the Philippines," Blatche said in his sworn statement.

"I want to play for Gilas Pilipinas as I saw them last year, when they qualified for the World Cup due to placing in the Asian Championship FIBA Games," he added. "It is exciting for me to have the opportunity to be able to participate in my offseason."

Blatche is not the first foreign player to be granted Philippine citizenship. Americans Chip Engelland, Jeff Moore, and Dennis Still were naturalized in the 1980s to help the Philippines win the Asian Basketball Confederation title in 1985.

More recently, Marcus Douthit was naturalized in 2011 and played a huge role in Gilas' silver-medal finish in the FIBA Asia Championship last year.

"We took a leap of faith when we naturalized Marcus Douthit, and that leap of faith paid dividends. We are hoping this would be a similar case with Andray Blatche," said Angara.

Angara also dismissed concerns that having naturalized players in the national team will be detrimental to local players.

"Since our local players will be playing against bona fide professional NBA players, they will be forced to improve," Angara pointed out. "It's like we're putting them in a competitive atmosphere. Great players make other players better."

The Philippines is drawn into Group B in the FIBA World Cup, along with Senegal, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Greece, and Croatia.

The FIBA World Cup will be held from August 30 to September 14 in Spain, with six venues in six host cities.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com