Jimmy Alapag recalls playing for Gilas and shares his take on the program’s future.

Photo credit: Rappler.com

                              

In an online interview with former PBA and Gilas Pilipinas player Jimmy Alapag for our Intro to Journalism class, he recounted his experiences on what it’s like playing for the national team, and what the future holds for the program.

Alapag, now 42, played a huge role for the Philippine national team that made its first appearance in the FIBA World Cup held in Spain last 2014, after a 36 year absence in the tournament. That’s almost four decades of no world cup exposure, for this basketball crazy country. And so as expected, a lot of Filipinos were excited to see their national team perform on the world stage, and get matched up against some of the best players in the sport, particularly, the ones who ply their trade in the NBA.

We may have had doubts as to how Gilas will perform against the heavyweights, especially with the fact that we haven't had a taste of what it’s like to play at this level and against these teams for so long. But Alapag, along with his teammates, went toe to toe with every opponent we faced during this campaign, translating the team’s “Puso!” ("heart!") battle cry on the court, on every second, and every minute of each game.

And so when asked about what it was like to play and represent our country in the World Cup, the former Gilas captain pointed out that because it happened on the twilight of his career, and knowing that it was his only chance to play in the World Cup, the goal was to make sure to step up on the court and represent the country the best way possible. The Mighty Mouse also cited that it was about “enjoying the opportunity to play against some of the best in the world”, as it was always a dream for basketball players to be matched up against the best teams. Alapag went on to summarize it as an amazing experience.

On his takeaway from this chance to play on the world stage, Alapag noted that the Philippines left its mark in Spain, and introduced to the world, the Philippine style of basketball.

On Gilas’ Future

The quest to reclaim the title as ‘Kings of Asian basketball’ has just gotten a lot tougher. Australia and New Zealand who are former members of the FIBA Oceania Zone and also considered amongst the world’s best in the sport, have been assigned to the FIBA Asia Zone. 

Alapag noted though, that we’ve proven in 2014 that we can compete at this level. True enough, Gilas has had some notable performances against big teams, even after the 2014 FIBA World Cup. “As we progress as a country in basketball, the world is doing the same. And so it’s important for us to constantly try to find ways to keep getting better” Alapag said. 

Jimmy Alapag answers questions from Rick Olivares' students in his

Intro to Journalism class.

He also cited that the future of basketball in the country is exciting, as younger talents continue to shine and be noticed abroad in the likes of Kai Sotto and Thirdy Ravena, who he mentioned “are blazing a trail for future players who will possibly look for opportunities to play abroad”. This will positively change the landscape of basketball in the country, as players may not only opt to one day make it in the PBA, but also they can dream of making it to the big leagues outside the country.

All in all, Alapag said that for Gilas to be successful in future tournaments it will take part in, the team should always be on the same page, and use teamwork as a weapon. Shooting the ball well and effectively and being sharp on defense through communication are key. There will definitely be better teams with more size and talent than what we have, but through speed and creativity we may have a good chance!