Memorable Sports Moments of 2014: The FIBA World Cup Experience
His output in the PBA went down this year as age finally caught up with the Mighty Mouse and Jayson Castro emerged as Talk ‘N Text’s new starting point guard. But Alapag makes it to this list not for his PBA exploits, but for his performance as team captain of Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup in Spain. If you want to be more specific, it was the way he almost carried his underdog team to what would have been a colossal upset of world no. 3 Argentina in the group stage. Alapag, who had scored a total of seven points in the team’s first two games, rose to the occasion with 15 points against the Argentinians, including a three-point shot from way out that brought Gilas to within one, 81-82, late in the game. Argentina eventually scraped its way to a four-point win, but after the game Gilas and Alapag were the talk of the town. When the Nationals finally broke through with a win over Senegal, Alapag was again at his best, topscoring with 18 points including the insurance free throws that gave the Philippines its first World Cup win in 40 years. It was a no-bearing game, but the country celebrated nonetheless.
A commentator on the international broadcast of the FIBA Worlds summed it up best after Alapag hit one of his long-range bombs: “There’s international distance, there’s NBA distance, and then there’s Jimmy Alapag distance.” (Photo by FIBA.com)
One big reason why 2014 was a great year for me is that the Philippines returned to the FIBA Basketball World Cup after 36 years. And I surely did not miss the chance to witness this historic event for myself when I flew to Seville, Spain for the most prestigious FIBA event of all.
There were five other Spanish cities that hosted the games – Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada and Gran Canaria. But Seville (or Sevilla) was all about Gilas Pilipinas. Filipinos that came from various parts of the globe mostly filled up the 7,200-seater Palacio Municipal de Deportes gym. There were those living in Spain, mostly from Madrid and Barcelona. Some came from other parts of Europe like England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, and nearby Portugal. But a good number came from the Philippines, many of whom are familiar faces in PBA games.
I came with my good buddy Jay Ignacio, a passionate Red Lions and Gilas fan. Our travel from Manila to Madrid was not exactly that pleasurable. We had three connecting flights – Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Rome. We had to wait six hours in Hong Kong. But Abu Dhabi was worse. Our flight was delayed by two hours, which caused us to miss our connecting flight in Rome. So we had to be rebooked in another flight, which was three hours later. Finally, when we arrived in Madrid came the worst part of the trip. Our luggage was nowhere to be found. We waited for a couple of hours hoping that it will show up. But it never did.
We spent the night in a small hotel called “Hotel Ateneo” (not run by the Jesuits) at the heart of Madrid. The location was perfect and walking distance to the famous Puerta del Sol (Spanish for Gate of the Sun).
Beautiful people abound. And of course we had our taste of authentic Paella. For a moment, we forgot about our missing luggage.
The next morning, we rushed to catch the 10 am train to Seville. The Madrid Atocha Train Station was just a stone’s throw away (although it has to be a pretty strong throw) from the hotel. And there we saw many commuters in Gilas Pilipinas shirts.
We had the chance to chat with Rommel, a chef living in Madrid for the last eight years. He works at a Japanese restaurant along with three other Filipinos. He said that the Filipinos in Madrid got excited when Gilas qualified for the FIBA World Cup. Months before the event, many had already booked their trip to Seville. Some came with their entire families. It was a festive four-hour ride as the train coach looked like one from the MRT.
We were so hungry when we reached Seville and I was salivating for more Spanish cuisine. But Jay chose to eat at a restaurant known as McDonald’s. Then came another snag in the trip. Riding a cab, we desperately tried to look for Hotel Picos de Europa, the hotel Jay booked online. But it turned out the said hotel was in another city, in Asturias, which is close to 800 kilometers from Seville (Portugal is even closer to Seville with just about 500 km away).
We settled in a small hotel but with a similar name – Hotel Europa. It was in the middle of Seville’s stunning tourist district, with well-preserved antic buildings and roads. Here, there are hundreds of restaurants, bars and cafes. It’s also a five-minute walk to the Seville Cathedral or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, the world’s largest gothic cathedral, where Christopher Columbus’ tomb lies. Hotel Europa itself was in an old building, where you get to feel an ambiance of old Europe. We were met by a friendly and lovely Spanish lady named Amanda. Once more, all our troubles in the world disappeared for a brief moment.
Then it was time to hurry to the venue to catch Gilas’ first assignment against 12th-ranked Croatia. We got our first lucky break when coming to the ticket booth as two Pinays offered us two tickets for free. They said their pals could not come so we could have the extra tickets. Inside the coliseum, about 70% was Filipino.
Colors of blue, white, red and yellow filled the rafters, all in support of Gilas. Jay and I were the only ones in “Madrid” shirts, which we bought in the souvenir shop beside Hotel Ateneo. I packed all my old Gilas shirts in that missing luggage.
From a distance, someone called my name. It was a former schoolmate in San Beda College that we fondly called Pom. I pointed to Jay, who is his high school batchmate. Pom (Camaro Ho) is currently completing his MBA at the University of Oviedo in Asturias (where Hotel Picos de Europa is) under a scholarship grant provided by the European Union.
Then, it was game time. The Croatians started strong, erecting an early double-digit lead. Croatia was considered as the team to beat in Group B with a squad composed of a good mix of youth and experience. It was also a well-respected basketball nation, which produced the likes of Toni Kukoc and Drazen Petrovic.
But Gilas showed tremendous heart in coming back strong and then engaging the Croats in a neck and neck battle. I must admit I expected a blow out loss, as I believe most everyone did. Gilas eventually lost by just three, 78-81. Naturalized import and former NBA campaigner Andray Blatche shone brightest for the Philippines with 28 markers and 12 boards, while Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic netted 26 points for Croatia. Croatia later on made it to the Round of 16 but bowed to eventual bronze medal winner France, 64-69.
We were defeated but proud. That game created shock waves across the basketball world. Everybody was talking about how this small Asian country stood its ground against a basketball heavyweight like Croatia.
After the game, we joined a big group of Pinoys for some beer, pizza and jamon iberico just across the coliseum. Beside the bar was where Smart Communications set up its headquarters for volunteer cheerleaders. There we finally got a Pilipinas shirt each courtesy of Smart marketing officer and Ateneo Blue Eagles team manager Epok Quimpo.
On the way back to the hotel, Pom gladly took us to El Corte Ingles, a Madrid-based department store group, which is considered the biggest in Europe. There we bought some clothing and toiletries that we would need in the next few days while waiting for the luggage to be delivered as guaranteed by the Madrid airport.
For dinner, we tried a neat looking local resto not far from our hotel, where we feasted on chorizos, jamon Serrano and caldereta. Just beside our hotel, Gilas head coach Chot Reyes was having dinner with his family that included brother Jun Jun, a former PBA player and assistant coach, and cousin Mark Molina, the FEU athletic director.
The next day, we were all excited about Gilas’ second game, this time versus another powerhouse, the 10th ranked Greece. The Greeks were bannered by two NBA campaigners and numerous Euroleague standouts. They had an average height of 6’8”. Greek coach Fotis Katsikaris prepared well after being impressed with the Pinoys’ gritty stand against Croatia. The Greeks took full advantage of their size and heft and control the tempo for the most part. Still, Gilas threatened to catch up several times throughout the game but lost steam in the end. Greece won, 82-70. Olympiacos star Georgios Printezis led all scorers with 25 points, while Blatche had another monstrous game for the Philippines with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Greece also advanced to the Round of 16 but got smashed by eventual runner-up Serbia, 72-90.
The Gilas supporters outnumbered the Greek fans. But there were two Greek boosters dressed in Spartan soldier attire that added spice to the game. They gamely posed for photos with the Filipinos after the game.
In Day 3 in Seville, it was Luis Scola and Andres Nocioni’s turn to challenge the Philippines. Argentina was ranked 3rd in the world and is a former world champion in the 2004 Olympics.
Argentina also had a good-sized crowd that cheered passionately. But Gilas started like a house on fire, scorching the hoop with 25 points in the first ten minutes of play to lead by three at the end of the first period. This was a game with several highlight plays including Gabe Norwood’s unforgettable in-your-face slam versus the 6’9” Scola. June Mar Fajardo was another revelation as he held his ground against Scola and the other Argentinean behemoths. Going into the payoff period, Gilas was behind, 66-71. But the never-say-die Filipino side made a forceful stand in the last ten minutes, outscoring Argentina, 20-14. The Argentineans however held on in endgame and escaped with an 85-81 triumph. Scola finished with 19 markers while Ranidel De Ocampo led Gilas with 18.
It was another heartbreaking loss but Jay and I got some solace later that day when our luggage finally found its way to our hotel.
The following day was rest day for the Philippines. Jay and I took the opportunity to go on a road trip. To Portugal! We rented a compact Volkswagen with amazing features. When approaching a stoplight, it automatically turns its engine off. And a few seconds before the light turns green, it starts the engine. But the GPS was terrible. It pointed us to a long route that took us five hours to get to Lisbon. Worse, it could not take us to our hotel so we had to hire a cab to locate it. In Lisbon, we had a taste of some Portuguese dish, and later on Portuguese massage. We stayed at a popular side of town called Bairro Alto where street parties are common every night. But we could not stay up too late as we needed to head back to Seville to catch Gilas 1:30 pm crucial game versus Puerto Rico. This time, we took a shorter route following a map. It took just four hours to get to Seville. But the GPS could not take us to the coliseum. So again we hired a cab.
Hope was high in the Puerto Rico match and even the foreign media were rooting for the Philippines. Both teams needed to win to advance to the next phase. It was intense from the get-go. But the Filipinos had a rousing start, leading by twelve at 25-13, after the first ten minutes. But Puerto Rico, behind NBA veteran Jose “JJ” Barea, dominated the next two quarters to lead, 61-57, before the final period. The fourth quarter saw a nip-and-tuck affair. Down by just two in the final few seconds, Jason Castro Williams’ desperation trey was swatted. Puerto Rico sank two more free throws to gain the victory, 77-73. Barea was outstanding with 30 points. Blatche finished with 25 markers and 14 boards. The Philippines bows out of contention for the Round of 16.
Although out of the running, Gilas was out to gain respect and was determined to salvage a victory in the World Cup, this time against the tall and athletic Senegal squad. It was also an emotional game as some Senegal fans had provoked top Gilas patron Manny V. Pangilinan and his entourage the day before, saying that the Philippine team better pack their bags already. Led by Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng and two NCAA Division 1 players – Maurice Ndour of Ohio University and Thierno Niang of the University of Wisconsin, Senegal was a tough match-up for Gilas in all positions.
The Africans looked good in the opening period, taking the driver’s seat, 19-13. But Gilas answered with ferocity in the second period with a sizzling 24-5 blast. This second quarter explosion propelled the Philippines to its first win in the world championship after 40 years, surviving Senegal’s muscle in crunch time, 81-79. Then it was pandemonium. The Filipinos celebrated as if we just won a title. Chot was ecstatic on the floor, shouting to the crowd, “Puso!” And it was indeed Gilas’ huge fighting heart that ended their World Cup return on a winning note. Skipper Jimmy Alapag was one of the heroes for Gilas in the World Cup. He topscored for the Philippines with 18 markers. As for Senegal, it still advanced to the next phase as it had defeated Puerto Rico earlier in the tournament. But it got bludgeoned eventually by host Spain, 56-89.
The Philippines became the darling of the whole event. One scribe even suggested giving Gilas a free ride to the Round of 16. We may not have advanced to the next round but we got what we came for – respect from the rest of the world.
It was sweet and it surely made our trip worthwhile.
Host Spain surprisingly got booted out by France, 52-65, in the quarterfinals. The USA not surprisingly won the tournament with an emphatic 129-92 conquest of Serbia in the gold medal match.
But before heading to Madrid for our flight back to Manila, we thought of making a brief stopover at Cadiz, an enchanting coastal city not far from Seville. It was the icing on the cake in a wonderful FIBA World Cup experience. Aclamaciones.
