CHICAGO - The praise was universal and some of the adjectives that laced the news reports I read after the game were so sweet I felt my blood sugar levels rise.
Pardon me if my enthusiasm is more subdued.
Gilas beat a squad from Hong Kong that wasn't named Bay Area Dragons.
The former British colony had a FIBA ranking of 119 to our 38. We crushed them like we were supposed to.
Gilas is good enough now - maybe even world class dare I say - to make a big deal out of beating a country whose passion for basketball only ranks well behind football, rugby, cricket, maybe even badminton.
TOUGHER TESTS AHEAD.
If the goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympics, the real test of our strengths and weaknesses will come down the road against New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and China.
Still, there was plenty to be pleased about.
Gilas dominated the boards, 56-32, and the ball moved around to the tune of 33 assists. They also locked down Hong Kong, holding them to 32 percent from the field (23-of-70) and 31.2 percent (10-of-32) beyond the arc.
In an all-around fare which validated that he can assert his dominance when utilized appropriately and given substantial playing time, Kai Sotto owned the paint with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Justin Brownlee is a gift that keeps on giving. Showing no signs of slowing down, the Ginebra ace plunked down 16 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and three steals.
If that game was a glimpse of the future of Gilas, then there will be plenty of Kevin Quiambao. The Green Archer wasn't shy in hoisting 12 field goals in 17:16 of action.
But if Quiambao can shoot it at a rate of 58.3 percent as he did against Hongkong, I am all in for Kevin.
GILAS CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW.
The overall production we saw was admirable, 10 guys playing with and for each other. However, the real triumph last night did not come from the performance, it came from the promise tomorrow brings for our national team.
Tim Cone has identified the guys he wants to run with. He has a system in place and a clear plan moving forward.
He also understands it's not going to be easy.
"We have a long ways to go," he said.
Yup, we do.
But under the quiet leadership of the winningest coach our country has seen, it's quite a comfort to know that after quite some time, Gilas finally knows where it's going.
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