SOME of the best success stories take roots from the depths of despair, hope and inspiration springing from where hope seemed none.
Gilas Pilipinas' 2023 campaign was one such case.
From an underwhelming Fiba World Cup campaign to the resignation of its longtime head coach to a short and tumultuous buildup that had no set team up until the plane bound for Hangzhou took off, Gilas set sail for the Asian Games looking every inch like a disaster waiting to happen.
But somehow, a hastily assembled Asiad team that had none of the size or depth of the World Cup team or the benefit of a long preparation managed to overcome every single obstacle, build its confidence bit by bit, and pull off something special that co-team manager Willie Marcial said was a 'miracle.'
For winning the country's first Asian Games men's basketball gold medal in 61 years, Gilas Pilipinas, led by coach Tim Cone, was voted SPIN.ph's Sportsmen of the Year for the year 2023.
The decision was not unanimous.
The year was blessed with historic feats beginning with the Filipinas, who not only made the Philippines a part of the world's biggest sports event for the first time ever but also showed they weren't there to make up the numbers, winning a game against Fifa Women's World Cup co-host New Zealand.
There, too, was EJ Obiena, who after proving that a Filipino can be a world-class athlete in an elite sport like pole vault reached rarefied air by reaching the ultra-exclusive 6-meter standard while winning a gold medal at the Asian Games and a historic silver medal at the World Athletic Championships.
But on a year highlighted by the country's hosting of the Fiba World Cup, the SPIN.ph staff decided to give the highest honor to a Gilas team that not only restored the nation's faith in the Filipino basketball player but also showed that when it comes to defying odds, Filipinos are still second to none.
Gilas overcomes great odds
What the Asiad team had to go through could've easily broken any other squad.
Imagine losing Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos and other overseas-based players as well as coach Chot Reyes, whose position had become untenable after the World Cup, then learning belatedly that four replacement players from the PBA including Calvin Abueva were declared ineligible by Asiad organizers.
The suspense didn't end there. The team held its collective breath until before the plane bound for mainland China took off, not because of engine trouble but because four members of the team almost failed to board because of eligibility issues.
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The team was so beat up physically and emotionally that by the time it lost to Jordan by 25 points in the group stage, even its most loyal fans were almost ready to give up on the hunt for gold medal.
In the middle of despair and desperation, what we forgot is that any team with Justin Brownlee is capable of Magic.
How else can you explain Gilas coming back from the depths of a 20-point deficit to beat defending champion and host China in their semifinal, where the Philippines didn't even have a sniff of the lead until Brownlee hit not one but two improbable three-pointers in the final 23 seconds.
"It was quite a miraculous win for us," said Cone afterwards. "We didn't look like we have any chance whatsoever, but I'm really proud of our players for continuing to battle and continuing to fight and find a way to come back."
That phenomenal win deserved an encore and it came in the form of a vengeful 70-60 win over Jordan in the final, giving the Philippines its first Asian Games basketball gold medal since the time of the Fiba Hall of Famer Caloy Loyzaga.
The gold was one of four the Philippines won on another eventful Asiad campaign, but it was the one that mattered most for a basketball-crazy nation that had to endure controversies and debacles for a good part of a decade since the landmark silver-medal finish behind Iran at the 2023 Fiba Asia Championship in Manila.
Faith restored. Time to move forward.
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