In the end, the lack of exposure to international competition killed the Philippine team’s hopes of bagging a medal, whatever the color. Coach Joseph Uichico’s squad blew a golden opportunity to face China in the finals when it lost a 69-68 heartbreaker to South Korea in the semis. And in the battle for bronze, the Filipinos were so drained of emotion–they’re only human, after all–that they let the medal slip away in dropping a two-point decision to Kazakhstan.
If only the Filipinos were more exposed to playing for the country in international competition, they would’ve known how to handle the pressure down the stretch against both South Korea and Kazakhstan. They would’ve known a two-point lead with 23 seconds left isn’t safe even if you’re on the line for two free throws. They would’ve known how to deal with a situation where you’ve got two fouls to give and the opposing team has a chance for a bailout from the three-point arc. They would’ve known to foul away from the ball–before the inbound–to put Kazakhstan on the stripe and save precious seconds on the clock. They would’ve known to slap Vitaly Strebkov’s killer triple away after the ball bounced on the rim instead of waiting for it to drop in.
The problem is the lessons the Filipino pros learned in Busan won’t be applied, if at all, until four years from now at the 15th Asiad in Doha, Qatar. Uichico won’t be back on the bench in Qatar–he’s declared that once is enough. And how many of the Busan veterans will be back on the national squad in 2006?
China, South Korea, and Kazakhstan play in international tournaments year in, year out. They’re used to the style that the Philippine team isn’t. It’s a credit to Uichico and the coaching staff that they brought the national team to within a point of qualifying for the finals in Busan despite only nine months of cramming to prepare for the Asiad. What other countries learn in decades of exposure, the Filipinos tried to learn in nine months and they almost reached the finals.
Unless the country’s basketball officials agree to a development program where the national team is in a position to progress from one international tournament to another, there will be more heartbreaks in the future, more tears, and more pain.
Nike’s Asiad correspondent Jannelle So filed this report on the cagers’ back-to-back losses:
"The Korean fans came in uniform blue shirts that carried the logo ‘Power of Asia’ for the game against the Philippines. I was told that the shirts were ordered for the football finals. But alas, Korea lost to Iran via penalty kicks in the semis. So the fans decided to cheer for their basketball squad and pour out whatever frustrations they may have over their efeated soccer team.
"Once inside the gym, I met up with Cathy Uichico and friend Jinky. They said they passed by a church before proceeding to the venue. We all took our seats and got ready to cheer. I was impressed by the way our balers played and I felt really proud to be Filipino. I thought they played their best game.
"Every Pinoy in the gym was praying when Olsen Racela took his place at the 15-foot line. We were thinking the same thing. The Koreans made a mistake in fouling Racela. The guy is known for his almost perfect free throw shooting. In fact, during practice, he is flawless. The other players narrate that they even play a game among themselves during training–the player who shoots the most free throws gets P500 and Olsen never fails to pocket the bills. But it seemed the Koreans knew something we didn’t. Rah-Rah missed, not one but two foul shots. He said: ‘Every athlete dreams to being in that position where I was in, I got my dream, pero wala. Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyari.’
"Given the situation, we could have won the game still. Down to the last seconds of the game, the score was 68-66 for the Philippines. Little did we know that in those last few seconds, we were going to be robbed of our dream. While the Koreans were celebrating their victory, our boys were on the floor, crying. I was in disbelief."
Jannelle reported that San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo (Danding) Cojuangco and his brother Henry were with the team for dinner at the Outback restaurant on Haeundae Beach. Everyone couldn’t get over what happened. The coaching staff arrived late for the dinner because they watched the China-Kazakhstan semifinal game. Coach Jong gave a short speech about how he thought the boys played well and it was just too bad we fell a bit short. Commissioner Jun Bernardino ended the dinner by saying, ‘We’re proud of you.’
"Against Kazakhstan, it was obvious that the morale of the team was at its all-time low, coming from the loss to Korea. From what was a guaranteed silver medal to no medal. They were not only physically drained but mentally and emotionally as well. And the officiating certainly didn’t help. ‘No excuses,’ said Commissioner Bernardino. It was certainly hard to lift the spirits of the players coming from the heartbreaker the day before. To bounce back the next day was simply tough.
"The boys didn’t cry, probably they had no more tears to shed. But the feeling was absolutely heavy. We rode silently in the bus going back to our hotel. It was an unexpected and very disappointing finish. But it’s over. The question is: Where do we go from here? How do we bounce back from this? Like anyone who has known heartbreak, we say that the important thing is getting up and feeling whole again."