Nagoya downfall: Nationals feel pain of nation

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas arrived a king at the 20th Asian Games. It’s leaving a pauper.

And for the fallen Nationals, feeling the pain of 117 million basketball-loving souls they let down makes the situation even harder to bear.

“Masama, masama. Siyempre, ayaw natin ‘yung mga ganitong result na mangyayari para sa atin, para sa mga Pilipino,” Gilas forward Calvin Oftana said in an interview on Cignal. “Pero ganun talaga. Lagi ko sinasabi, hindi araw-araw Pasko. Ayaw natin ito pero yeah, heads up na lang and move forward.”

Oftana experienced the highest of highs when he and his batchmates in the previous Asiad in Hangzhou in 2023 won the most cherished gold medal and ended the country’s 61-year title drought.

Now, he’s also experienced the lowest of lows as Gilas wound up with its worst-ever finish in the continental joust of ninth spot.

The fall from glory was hastened by the all-Filipino cagers’ 61-105 blowout to full-powered China at the end of Group C hostilities last Monday.

For the first time in the Asiad, the Philippines’ proud hoops squad missed the quarterfinal stage and finished outside the Top 8.

But with every fall comes the chance to pick one’s self up and stand up again.

“Malaking bagay ito para matuto tayo,” noted Oftana, a last-minute addition to the crew made up predominantly of non-members of coach Tim Cone’s regular squad to FIBA competitions.

One of the biggest realizations, according to Cone, is assembling the best of the best.

“It’s a reminder for us that if we don’t or can’t bring our best players to these international events, we won’t excel. We brought some really good players, but we didn’t bring our best players,” he said.

Already without the likes of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and Dwight Ramos, Cone had to make do with an import-less group with Justin Brownlee (health), Ange Kouame (club commitment) and Bennie Boatwright (eligibility) unavailable.

Despite the disappointing result, Cone expressed pride with the fight shown by his Nagoya squadron.

“The guys we had played their hearts out. We were just oversized by the other teams. But they were a great group of guys who loved playing for their country,” he said.

“It wasn’t their fault that we couldn’t add size to their roster to help them out. They gave their all.”