Jaworski on Gilas: 'We must keep our hopes alive'

The “Living Legend” of Philippine basketball, former Senator Robert Jaworski, has congratulated the Gilas Pilipinas team even as he said what happened at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea “is over but we can’t repeat the mistakes and need to adjust.”

Jaworski isn’t prepared to give up on Gilas Pilipinas, saying “all these guys had to work against players who were bigger and stronger” citing among others the Senegal team whom Gilas Pilipinas overcame in overtime in the FIBA World Cup and added, “it hurt to the bones against a tough Senegal team but we worked as a team.”

Jaworski noted that in the game against eventual Asian Games champions South Korea, the Gilas team “played their hearts out but lost by two points” after naturalized player Marcus Douthit was benched for disciplinary reasons after he was a non-factor in the second half of the Qatar game.

The icon of Philippine basketball  who has consistently advocated unity, togetherness in sports and everything we undertake and has always pushed hard for integrity,  commended the scores of Filipinos who showed up at the Gilas Pilipinas games in Spain to cheer the national team and support them to the end. He said “these fans forgot their families’ vacation time to be attached to where they came from, looking for identification” with the home country.

He stressed “it’s not only about winning. It's about playing the game at the highest level because you don’t know what can happen.”

Taking a dig at so-called Monday night quarterbacks or coaches who have been critical of the team and its head coach in particular, Jaworski said “we must also understand the spirit of that team being sent which was all in the spirit of goodwill since basketball is a religion for many just like soccer is for others in Europe and South America. We have to be sensible.”

Jaworski indicated “we have to congratulate so many people” citing Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president and a major benefactor of Philippine sports, particularly basketball, Manny Pangilinan, pointing out “it’s not easy to put your money in a national endeavor especially if you don’t know the social dimensions. We praise, thank and congratulate  MVP for accepting this extreme responsibility. It’s the Philippines that’s at stake. No one is bigger than that.”

A successful playing-coach during his PBA career with Ginebra San Miguel, Jaworski mentioned that there are “styles of coaching, scientific coaching” but advised that “emotions should be there without passions.”

He emphasized that “coaching is like family and while  it is hard to coach, you can’t bawl out someone” which was a reference to Reyes’ tirade against Douthit after he was watching music videos during half-time of the Qatar game and was the last to leave the dugout  which was followed by a terrible performance in the second half in which Reyes accused him of letting the team and the country down.

Jaworski believes “you have to subordinate everything to the mission” revealing that he was “glued to television following the games because that’s where we came from. We have an obligation to a sport that gave us so much” even as he made it clear “no one is perfect. What we want to achieve is anchored on heart, puso.”

He said “we congratulate the sponsors, all the players and all others. We slipped up in the Asian Games which should make us realize there are no shortcuts. We should know what we should do and not do.”

The all-time basketball great suggested that “we should look at structural flaws. These people who work hard are not perfect . We must push the word ‘Hope’ up front.”

He noted that Manny Pangilinan is “as humble as his beginnings. He should continue to try hard and it may happen” in reference to an Asian Games gold medal.

Jaworski’s message to the team is, “give your best and you’ll be fine.”

Jaworski underscored  the fact that since our players “are trained to play  basketball they must show sincerity, not thinking of anything in return. The rewards come to all of us.”

He summed it up, “ We are still learning but must keep our hopes alive.”