Douthit warns Gilas of separation anxiety during long road to Spain and Korea
Being a part of Gilas Pilipinas is a privilege that only a select number of basketball players can get. It’s often gloried as they are portrayed as modern day heroes but what the public usually fails to see is the sacrifice that is required to be a part of the team.
Marcus Douthit sacrificed his American citizenship to be a naturalized Filipino. Now that Andray Blatche is also a Filipino, it’s likely that he’ll also sacrifice his Gilas Pilipinas slot for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain for the NBA player.
Still, Douthit isn’t harping about his sacrifices and is instead warning his teammates about the hardships they will face in the upcoming months.
“It was good to get back with the guys. It’s nothing like we did last year in terms of preparation for a big tournament but we’re making the best of it,” Douthit said during the send-off party hosted by Max’s Restaurant.
With Blatche still unavailable, Douthit will lead Gilas in their 2014 FIBA Asia Cup campaign in Wuhan, China.
“We want to play the best basketball we possibly can even if Wuhan is not our major goal. It’s the first stepping stone in what we need to take care of,” he explained. “For Beau [Belga] and the rest of the news guys, it’s to get their feet wet in that kind of atmosphere.”
The trip to Wuhan, China would be the first of many for Gilas Pilipinas. From there, they would fly back to the Philippines to play in the Last Home Stand of Gilas against NBA players, fly to Miami for training, head to Spain for the FIFA World Cup, go back to the Philippines for a while, and then go to South Korea for the Asian Games.
“Right now, I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for the grueling road trips because everything is back to back unlike last year when we went to Lithuania then go back home and rest a bit. Now when we go on the road, it’s almost for two and a half months straight,” Douthit said.
“It’s something I have not experienced ever since I’ve played basketball. I just hope everyone stays healthy and mentally ready and stay focused at the task ahead. It’s going to be these guys’ first time to be away from their families for so long.”
Douthit is no stranger to being away from home as basketball led him to many different countries. Now, he’ll leave his second home for two and a half months without the assurance he’ll play in one of basketball’s biggest stage.
“Over the years, I’ve been playing overseas so I’m kind of used to it. For some people who are just beginning their families, who just got married, who just got kids, it’s going to be tough,” he said. “Everyone made sacrifices to be here and hopefully we can just grind through it. When we were in Lithuania I saw how the guys missed their families and we were not even there for a whole two weeks and now we’re about to be gone for two months.”
Douthit reminded his teammates to always remember the purpose for the sacrifice.
“The guys just need to understand that this is for the greater good of the country and that all of our families at home are going to be rooting for us and they know that this is something that not every basketball player will get to do. This is once in a lifetime,” he said. “Our wives and kids are making sacrifices also. For sure, there will be times when it’s going to get tough. Some guys will hang their heads down. There’ll be a lot of lonely and empty nights. But the guys are definitely mature enough to go through it.”
