PBA legend Ramon Fernandez said he is one of the millions of Filipino basketball fans left disappointed after defending Asian Games gold medalist Gilas Pilipinas failed to advance past the group stage in Nagoya.
After seeing Gilas get eliminated even before the Asiad could officially open, Fernandez stressed that the 44-point loss to China must come as a big wake-up call for officials involved in the management of the national team program.
READ PBA chief left searching for answers after horror loss to China
“It boils down to preparation. That has been our problem since our time, 1974, 75. At least 'yung 73, 74 namin, preparado kami doon,” said the four-time PBA MVP and many-time national player.
“Alam naman nila dyan sa SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas) kung paano nila babaguhin yan. Maraming genius sa atin d'yan sa Manila. Alam nila dapat [ang gagawin],” El Presidente said.
Asked if the blowout loss to China on Monday brought back the horror of the Philippines' Asiad loss to the same team back in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, which still stands as the worst loss by a national squad in Asia, Fernandez shook his head.
“Malakas talaga ang China. We admit that. But iba yung set-up namin noon sa naging talo kahapon,” he said of the 1990 campaign of the first all-pro team to represent the country in the Asiad in Beijing.
That Philippine team, coached by Sonny Jaworski and made up of PBA players, lost to China in the quarterfinals by 65 points, 60-125, but still reached the finals where the gap was much smaller in the rematch with China, 76-90.
“Yung amin noon, there was some sort of pairing, if I remember it correctly,” Fernandez said without elaborating.
Meanwhile, Fernandez also stressed that Gilas could have been more competitive inside the paint against China's bememoths had it brought the PBA’s current best big man, June Mar Fajardo, to Nagoya.
The nine-time PBA MVP retired exactly two weeks before that ugly China loss, right after Gilas' games against Iran and Jordan in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
“Kung wala naman silang kapalit at pamalit na kasing galing ni June Mar or mas magaling, siguro dapat pinalaro lang muna,” he said.
For now, the former PSC commissioner hopes that Gilas will learn from this debacle and hopefully regain lost glory and pride in the future.
“Sana, [kasi] basketball ang sinusubaybayan natin. Sayang nawala pa 'yung ginto na matagal nating inasinta. Kung sana ginawa nila o sinunod 'yung formula nung nag-gold tayo the last Asian, 'di ba? It could have been different,” he said.
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