FROM RINGSIDE, SBP CHIEF SEES SEISMIC SHIFT FOR REJIGGED GILAS PROGRAM

AL Panlilio looked like the most relaxed man in the courtside section of Arena Riga when Gilas Pilipinas played home side Latvia in its Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament debut on Thursday.

Deep down, his heart was racing a mile a minute.

PHOTO: fiba.basketball

"I was so shocked and couldn’t believe my eyes," Panlilio, the head of the country's national basketball body, said just hours after the Philippines' brave underdogs brought down world No. 6 Latvia, 89-80, before its disbelieving home fans.

"I couldn’t believe my eyes watching the performance of the team, but at the same time had confidence in the system under coach Tim [Cone] that we've put in place."

READ Why Cone stuck to 'outdated' triangle offense for youth-laden Gilas side

As head of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), Panlilio painstakingly steered Gilas through troubled waters in the final years of Chot Reyes' reign as coach and, after the Fiba World Cup which Manila co-hosted, oversaw a difficult pivot that handed Cone the keys to the national team program.

The mild-mannered former head of PLDT and Smart Communications mostly stayed in the shadows, but signed off on everything Cone's vision required - from a compact pool of players that left little room to maneuver in case of injuries, to a short training period that may be more sustainable but seemed inadequate.

The rejigged program can count a number of victories, both moral and actual, since it was rolled out after the World Cup: a historic gold medal at the Asian Games, a sweep of its Asia Cup Window 1 qualifiers, and in the past week competitive friendlies against Turkey and Poland.

PHOTO: fiba.basketball

But nothing could've prepared anybody at ringside, Panlilio included, for what they were about to witness on Thursday when Gilas players, from the veteran June Mar Fajardo down to the young Carl Tamayo, played so well that the supremely confident Latvians - coming off a 28-point beating of Georgia the day before - lost their rhythm, lost their cool, and eventually lost the game.

The win, without a doubt, was the single biggest moment that Panlilio has witnessed in his time in charge of the SBP. 

"Of course, winning against a European team - the world No. 6 at that - is amazing and historic," said Panlilio. "Last we beat a European team was 64 years ago."

The SBP chief admired the celebration from afar, but got an unexpected pat on the back from former Latvia President Raimonds Vejonis, who also happens to be the president of his country's basketball federation.

PHOTO: fiba.basketball

"The Latvian President was also in Manila during the World Cup. I approached him before the game and he thanked us again for the hosting," he said. "After the game, he approached me to congratulate me which was so nice of him."

No celebration

Beyond that, Panlilio, Cone and the entire Philippine delegation did little to celebrate the momentous win, partaking a late dinner before retreating to their hotel rooms, knowing Gilas has to play world No. 23 Georgia early the next day with a spot in the OQT crossover semifinals at stake.

"Proud of the team but no celebration last night because we all know we are here to win the tournament," Panlilio said. "We all went back to the hotel, had late dinner, then coach Tim told everyone to recover as we play again in about 17 hours."

Gilas road is clear

But whatever happens in the Georgia game and beyond that in this OQT, the win over Latvia already represents a seismic shift that restores faith in the Filipino basketball player and belief in the Gilas program after a tumultuous few years.

That single win also lights the path for a retooled Gilas program that Panlilio said is geared toward bringing the Philippines to the Olympics, if not in Paris then in Los Angeles in four years' time, as well as to the Fiba World Cup in 2027.

"We understood the goal and set our sights for it - making the Paris Olympics if we can, but longer term [we want to] compete in the Fiba Asia Cup, qualify for the Fiba World Cup in 2027 and be the best Asian team that also qualifies us to LA Olympics.

"It’s a long-term plan we have embarked on," he added. "But each tournament is a building block to the next."

2024-07-04T12:11:11Z dg43tfdfdgfd