Resiliency key in Gilas Pilipinas’ success in Spain

MANILA, Philippines - Despite a disappointing finish in the recently concluded Incheon Asian Games in South Korea, one cannot deny the fact that Gilas Pilipinas left its mark in the global hoops scene by showing the world what Filipino basketball is all about.

Since setting up camp in Miami, Florida, to prepare for the FIBA World Cup last August, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Vincent “Chot” Reyes emphasized the need for the entire team to make key stops on the defensive end. As it was, everybody saw how defense became the name of the game for Gilas Pilipinas, a team that continues to train its sights towards regaining basketball supremacy in Asia. The players’ resilience and strong desire to win have been on full display every time they took on the court with the words “Pilipinas” emblazoned across their chests.

We saw how Gilas Pilipinas captain Jimmy Alapag and fellow court generals LA Tenorio and Paul Lee, made life miserable for the opposing teams’ point guards, hounding them non-stop despite giving away a few inches in height. Defensive specialists Gabe Norwood, Marc Pingris — who shrugged off a foot injury — Ranidel de Ocampo, and Jared Dillinger went all out and took turns shadowing the other team’s best scorers, embodying the team’s #LabanKungLaban spirit while running after loose balls and keeping possessions alive for the squad. And then there were Cebuano behemoth June Mar Fajardo and naturalized center Marcus Douthit, who manned the paint for the Filipinos, banged bodies with other big men, and showed their might underneath the basket.

However, the players’ ability to keep dishing their A-game day in, day out faced a serious threat as back-breaking playing schedules and rigid training regimens took a toll on their health. What kept them in tip-top condition and motivated to keep fighting, aside from the overwhelming support of millions of basketball-crazy Filipinos, was the overall immunity protection they got from Conzace multivitamins.

For Gilas Pilipinas, a group of men recognized as the modern-day heroes of Philippine basketball, great defense makes all the difference in overcoming odds and reaching for success, a virtue that it shares together with Conzace multivitamins. Our boys fought their hearts out every single game, brandishing their signature #LabanKungLaban defense each time they stepped on the floor with millions of Filipinos rallying behind them. Truly, what they’ve achieved in Incheon cannot be really measured by whether they’ve won a medal or went home empty-handed. Gilas Pilipinas’ triumph was all a story of battling through adversity to protect the one thing that kept them fighting: every Filipino’s heart.

For information,  visit http://www.unilab.com.ph/