"A person really doesn't become whole, until he becomes a part of something that's bigger than himself," (Jim Valvano). I always tell my Kiwi friends that "for short people like us, we really love basketball, whether as a player or a spectator!" This was clearly shown last Sunday, 23 February at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Spark Arena has a 12,000 seating capacity and the game between Gilas Pilipinas vs. NZ Tall Blacks attracted a record-crowd of 8,345 (according to FIBA), who were predominantly Pinoys. The Tall Blacks won 87-70.
Photo c/o Carlo Espejo
It's been said that basketball is a game of skill, strategy, and heart, not just height. For us Pinoys, speed, agility, and determination become our greatest strengths. If that is augmented by hard work, discipline, and smart plays, we can outshine taller opponents. We've seen time and again, that with passion and perseverance, even the smallest players can make a big impact on the court. However, a team with tall players can enjoy that plus-factor.
Just look at what's happening with the recent Gilas Pilipinas team. They've lost 4 consecutive games since 7-3 star center Kai Sotto was sidelined due to injury. In this instance, there seems to be no one who can replace what Kai can do. His absence is deeply felt by the team, as well as by all basketball-loving Pinoys. One shinning light though is that Kai seems to be healing quickly and would hopefully join the team the soonest time possible.
We need more centers, homegrown would be best, so that we don't have to look for naturalized players. But that is another story for a future blog post.
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