BATANG Gilas standout Joshua Sinclair did not take long to turn his focus to bigger fish to fry at the upcoming Fiba-Asia Under-18 Championship set this July in Iran.
Shortly after helping lead the Philippines to the gold medal in the Seaba Under-18 Championship with 15 points and six rebounds in an 86-49 thrashing of Thailand, the young Filipino-Australian emphasized the need to not be complacent in the wake of the dominant performance in regional tournament.
“We have to not be complacent with our dominance in Seaba because Fiba Asia is a whole different ball game. We go from the top dogs to the underdogs. We're going to have to play with a chip on our shoulders in that tournament to stand a chance against the Asian powerhouses,” said the National University recruit from Visayas powerhouse Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu.
[See Batang Gilas bag Seaba Undr-18 title after romp over Thailand]
After staying under the radar for a while, Sinclair broke through in the Seaba competition as he led the team with averages of 16 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 21 minutes of action. But more than the numbers, Sinclair said it was the time spent with his teammates that made the experience even more valuable.
“I've learned a lot during this tournament but I'd say that the most valuable thing I've learned is the little things about my teammates that make them different. I've become a lot closer with the team, we've really had time to bond on and off the court. Hopefully our on-court chemistry will improve from this,” the long-limbed forward shared.
“I'm thankful that I got the opportunity to play for my country and if people think I proved myself as a good player during this tournament, that's just a bonus. I'm just happy we won Seaba and I was able to help the team.
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