TOGETHER

SMART-GILAS PILIPINAS (philippinenewsdaily.com)

                    FOR a sports loving country starving for international sports success outside of Pambansang Kamao, Pound-for-pound King, and my main man Manny Pacquiao, the national football team Azkals what with their gritty defense and giant-killing ways fit the bill as the country's newest sports heroes. And hey, it helped that they were pogi too. It doesn't take much for the casual fan to really rally behind this team, which boasted of hungry vets and talented newcomers and truly exemplified team play, as required in football. Accolades well deserved, especially if you hear about what the team had to go through a few years ago when they had close to zero support.

Kinda lost in the mix was the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team. The Azkals were killin on the pitch, Manny still bludgeoned opponents to kingdom come, and the hometown crowd was lovin it. Gilas dominated in SEABA and their PBA guest stint, sure, but these weren't the giants the country wanted them to slay.

It's been years since the Gilas program's inception, and after gaining valuable experience playing against pro teams, veteran international teams, participating in the best camps overseas and finally having a naturalized big to equalize the opponents' usual height advantage, the team's best chance to test their mettle would be right now.

One thing I think the Gilas program wanted to rectify was lack of execution. With a solid pool and program in place, players developed chemistry. It helps to know exactly where you're shooters are going to be. It helps when you find the exact timing of a lob pass for a Japeth Aguilar jam. It helps to know that when the opposition gets too physical, your boys have your back. It helps when you have teammates you can clown with off the court, and men who will stand by you on the court.

The Gilas program also fine tuned players for their positions. This team can get a on a really hot streak with shooters across the board, they have the frontline size with Marcus Douthit and Japeth Aguilar, and when they get Kelly Williams and Jimmy Alapag, they'll have significant international and pro experience along with Dondon Hontiveros and the ageless Asi Taulava.

I always tell people us Pinoys probably have the best individual basketball skill set in Asia. We can play physical (Asi), pretty (Caguioa), above the rim (Aguilar), or we can play downright crazy (Willie frickin Miller!). No race does the kanto-ball-dipsy-do-alahoy-layup better than us Pinoys. While that shot might not be Coach Rajko Toroman's favorite, I'm sure he sees that our players have the skill, and now that we have that much-coveted pivotman to help our locals patrol the paint, all it takes now is to play hard, play smart, and play TOGETHER.

This Gilas team has the potential to be great. We saw how they shot their way to victory vs Hamed Haddadi and Iran, how they pounded Chinese-Taipei into submission, and how they fought Jordan to a close finish despite a 4-point loss in the ongoing Jones Cup. So what say you, sports fans? Why don't we get behind this team and show the world what we can do together?

The Arrival

I tend to refer to myself as part-time news correspondent, full-time sports aficionado. Because I never feel more alive than when I'm up and about, covering the games' biggest stars, re-living moments etched in athletic lore, and telling tales of glory to one and all who would care to lend an ear.

I started out as a freelance writer for college sports while studying, and my God, I never felt more alive.

That much was clear to me from the outset: I love sports, and making a career out of writing and talking about the games I love would be the fulfillment of a dream.

I've been pretty the lucky the past couple or three years. I've met Kobe Bryant twice and talked to him 1on1 for 5 minutes, I've become pretty friendly with Pound-for-Pound King Manny Pacquiao (played in the same backcourt with him even), I've seen NBA stars and NBA legends hoop, I've gotten to know our national athletes and seen them in glory and defeat, I've traveled from GenSan to Las Vegas and back, I've shivered in Canada and sweated in Laos, just to bring back tales that inspire, of men and women who shed blood, sweat, and tears for their moment of glory in their respective battlefields.

What better job in the world than to be the herald for these Titans of our time?

This is why I am resurrecting that part of me which has been asleep for the last 3 years. While I have been blessed with the means to broadcast my craft to the rest of the world, I feel that two minutes of voice and video cannot bring justice to the the games greatest names. A lot can happen in two minutes, but two minutes ain't enough to tell my side of the story; like how it felt to pick Kobe Bryant's brain about Kobe the Killer on the court, or how surreal it was to stand beside Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra in 2010 as his assistant coach for a day, teaching kids how to play the game of basketball properly.

Michael Jordan felt like he was in Heaven everytime he stepped on the court. I feel like I'm in Heaven everytime I stand in the frontlines of sports history.

So hello again, dearest sports blog. We're gonna have a lot of fun together.