JORDAN Clarkson was thrilled to reciprocate the love from home fans.
The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year delivered a performance to remember before an adoring crowd of almost 20,000 fans at the MOA Arena, finishing with 23 points, six assists, and five rebounds in Gilas Pilipinas' 84-46 rout of Saudi Arabia on Monday.
"It feels great," Clarkson said, savoring the support of fans who cheered him every step of the way in his first home game for the national team. "I heard them through internet and social media. I know Filipinos got my back and I got theirs as well."
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Clarkson said the morale-boosting win over Saudi Arabia in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers put the Gilas program back on track after a tough stretch capped by a close loss away to Lebanon in this window.
"It’s big, us as a team, just getting together the last couple of weeks and me coming in just five times and getting ready quick, this will get us ready for the World Cup next year," said the Fil-American guard of the Utah Jazz
And he anticipates more of these sellout crowds in the future, especially with the Philippines jointly hosting the World Cup with Japan and Indonesia.
"I appreciate everybody," he said. "We’re just getting started, so support us, support the coaching staff, and support everybody."
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