GIVEN another chance of suiting up for Gilas Pilipinas, veteran gunner Marcio Lassiter won’t hesitate to answer the call of flag and country again.
Despite national coach Tim Cone deciding to just stick to a 12-man pool to comprise the current Gilas team, the 36-year-old Lassiter insists that won’t deter him from hoping for another shot at donning the national colors again.
Lassiter says he still has shooting touch
“No, no, no. I got some gas still left here,” San Miguel's sharp-shooting wingman said when asked if he was finally through playing for Gilas.
“The shooting will always be there.”
Following that memorable golden triumph in the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Lassiter indeed, appeared to have rediscovered his outside shooting as he topped the three-point field goal percentage during the last Commissioner’s Cup where he shot 45.1 percent from beyond the arc (37-of-82) as the Beermen beat Magnolia is six games of the championship series.
He’s also shooting well from the same area in the ongoing Philippine Cup where he’s so far gone 9-of-13.
Unfortunately, he bombed out in the recent Long Distance Three-Point shootout in the recent All-Star festivities, leaving him still in search of a first-ever PBA Three-Point shootout crown.
Lassiter says he's ready to play
Lassiter also clarified the notion he’s already retired from serving the national team.
He stressed this following the confusion that came out after the Asiad that both he and Japeth Aguilar had played their last game with Gilas.
The former member of the original Smart Gilas Pilipinas said people had mistaken their reference to the statement ‘The Last Dance’ as alluding to their final stint with the national basketball program.
“(Just) before we played Jordan, coach Tim put on the board ‘The Last Dance.’ So he explained it and what he meant by it,” Lassiter recalled.
“Coach said everyone in the room may not be in the next Asian Games. So it sounds like yes, it makes sense. This could be quite the last one for everyone. So it might probably be our ‘Last Dance.’ So I thought that was what Japeth said. I thought yeah, this is our ‘Last Dance’ for this Asian Games. So I think that’s where the confusion came in.”
The Asiad maybe not, but in other tournaments where Gilas is going to play, Lassiter will always be ready for any possible call-up.
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