Triumphant Gilas Arrived Home:
The triumphant Gilas Pilipinas squad arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 and will have to rest for a while and enjoy the warm welcome of Filipinos after doing something special and making the nation proud for winning the Asian Games gold medal after 61 years.
The Philippine delegation arrived early Sunday morning as they were welcomed warmly by the SBP people led by Executive Director Sonny Barrios, teams from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, airport personnel, and those Filipinos inside the terminal who were electrified to see the Asian Games basketball champion.
Filipinos, best known for being a basketball-crazy nation in the world, had longed for these glory days in Philippine basketball for a long time.
Gilas head coach Tim Cone was still in disbelief as he kept repeating the words “six decades,” shortly after ending the sixty-year gold medal drought in their 70-60 conquest of Jordan in the men’s basketball final of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, the assistant manager of the Gilas Pilipinas, was just as proud as everybody for the accomplishment nailed by the hastily formed team composed of 10 PBA regular players, supported by Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee and former Ateneo big man and stalwart Ange Kouame.
The triumphant Gilas squad will sacrifice more after a brief rest as they will join their peers and foes in the inaugurals of the PBA Season 48 on November 5, 2023, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
During the past few months, Gilas mainstays, namely June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez, and Chris Newsome served extended duty with the national team and were lauded for their sacrifices.
These players mentioned above were part of the Gilas pool from Day 1 of preparation for the 2023 FIBA World Cup co-hosted by the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan.
The triumphant Gilas squad reached the ultimate destination in the quadrennial Asian Games, ending a gold-medal drought of 61 years for a nation crazy about basketball.
From now on, to the next Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, 2026, the Philippines will reign as Asiad Basketball Champion.
The Philippines men’s basketball team dominated the Asian Games in the early days of the competition in 1951.
The Philippines won the Asian Games Gold Medal for basketball in 1951, 1954, 1958, and 1962 or for four consecutive Asian Games.
Aside from the Philippines’ dominance in basketball in the early days of the Asian Games, the country also won a Bronze medal in 1986, a Silver medal in 1990, and a Bronze medal in 1998.
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