EIGHT months removed from his last game, Roosevelt Adams was just glad to be back on the hardcourt.
And what better way for him to make his return than wearing a Gilas Pilipinas jersey as he made his national team debut on Monday in its 84-46 romp over Saudi Arabia in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.
[READ: Dwight says Gilas lineup need only 'minor tweaks' for World Cup]
Adams went scoreless but grabbed five rebounds and had one steal in his 11 minutes of action in the rout. The Fil-Am forward was over the moon as he felt the electric energy inside the sold-out Mall of Asia Arena - his first game in the Pasay venue.
"Man, the energy in this place," Adams said flashing a wide smile as he stared at the 19,829 fans who trooped to the venue to boost the national team.
"We for sure had six people on the court. The energy, like I said, is unbelievable."
It was an emotional night for Adams who finally got to don the national tri-colors after betting on himself and trying out for the squad, calling it "a dream come true for my family."
"I have so much jitters and excitement, just playing in front of the fans and having that jersey on me," he said.
"I always wanted to represent the flag. I just took my chance and came out here, battled in the 24-man pool, and I worked hard enough to just make the final 13. Hard work is just irreplaceable. I would do it again and again if I get the opportunity."
Adams is just living in the moment as he still explores his options moving forward.
A possible return to Terrafirma is still not out of the woods yet as he shared that discussions are still ongoing between him and his former club and quipped, "PBA is not out, for sure."
He also shared that so far, there are still no overseas offers on his table as he keeps his options open, but representing Gilas after getting this first game under his belt is at his utmost priority.
"Like I said, I'm just keeping it open," he said. "Right now, my main focus is Gilas. Hopefully, they'll have me return for the next window, but we'll see. We'll talk about it, we'll see what happens in these next couple of months. But for my next step, I'm open to anything right now."
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