The Philippine Smart Gilas Team Placed Fourth in the FIBA Championship

The Philippine quest for its lost glory in the sports of basketball in Asian caging finally got a shot in arm as it charged through the semifinal round of the FIBA Championship and eventually finished fourth. The meet served as a qualifier for the single slot into the London Olympics in 2012.

The Philippine basketball quintet used to be a dominant force in the continent few decades ago and finally started to make its presence felt.

The Philippine languished in the pit of torment and defeat for the past many many years, as the passion for the sports is slowly dwindling down in the country. While the basketball suffered numbing losses, here and there, the Philippine football team stole the limelight and now steadily becoming an emerging power in Asian soccer.

But with the country’s fourth place which bristles like a medal finish is expected to usher in a new era for the sports. The country which found too much difficulty in even breezing past the quarterfinals is finally in the driver’s seat, once again.

The fourth place the country achieved means the Philippines is the fourth best team in the Asian basketball right now. Even better than performance dished out by defending and perennial top favorite Iran, also-game teams like Japan, Lebanon, Chinese-Taipei and Qatar.

The Nationals surprisingly made it to the semifinal phase and medal round of the tournament after dispatching Chinese-Taipei 95-78 in the quarterfinals. However, the team lost steam in the semifinal round as they bowed to Jordan which wielded the upset axe earlier in the quarterfinal match on four-time champion Iran. The defending champion Iran which is headed by Memphis Grizzlies center Hamed Haddidi is also the one of the two Asian nations that represented Asia in the last staging of the Olympics. The Philippine next bowed to South Korea on their bronze medal match.

The Philippine team which won the championship five times last made it into the semifinals in the 1987 edition in Bangkok, Thailand. The Philippines wound up fourth as it succumbed to Japan other bronze medal match.

The Philippines is mentored by Serbian Rajko Toroman, who is responsible for steering Iran in the Olympics.  Toroman now brought his wares to the Phillippine team and his brilliance is spilling over his players.

The Philippines clobbered Gulf State powers UAE and Bahrain and lost to powerhouse China in the elimination. The Philippines swept its games in the second round bowling over Japan, Jordan and Syria.

The Filipinos heart and soul in the wooden court is perhaps, Marcus Douthit who registered a scintillating double-double average performance in the tournament.

A native of Syracuse, New York, Douthit was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2004 Rookie Draft in the NBA and played professionally in Russia. Toroman brought in Douthit way back in 2010.

Now the country is in the thick of things in the Asian basketball scene and with more international exposure and experience, may the country bring back the glory days and we hope that they will improve much further in the future and be potent threat not only in Asia but in the whole world again.

Phl Smart Gilas Team Nips Chinese Taipei Enters Quarterfinal Round

The Philippine Smart Gilas team breezed past gritty Chinese Taipei 82-73 to earn a quarterfinal berth in the basketball competitions of 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. The Philippine team finished third in Group F with a 3 win 2 loss record in the second round and will meet many time rival South Korea, where the winner will advance to the semifinal round.

Asi Taulava and Marcio Lassiter each scored 18 points while Chris Tiu chipped in 15 points to lead the Philippine charge. The Filipinos just lead by two points at half time but managed to pull away from Chinese Taipei in the fourth quarter to secure their third win in five outings.

China meanwhile annexed the top spot in Group G by beating South Korea 72-64, while Iran crushed Qatar 88-46 to top Group F.

Other countries that also made it to the quarterfinals are Japan, Iran, Qatar, North Korea, and Jordan.

Philippines Beat India in Fifth Round to Wrest Second Place in Asian Games

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2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou China

The Complete Lists of Filipino Medalists in the 2010 Asian Games

Philippines Loses to Japan in Asian Games

The 16th Guangzhou Asian Games in China

The 16th Guangzhou Asian Games kicked off last November 12, 2010 showcasing the vast, distinct and colorful culture of the world’s most populated country in the world which is China.

Countries from all corners of Asia are here for the conclave sending their best athletes in various sports discipline (ubiquitous and traditional), with hope that they can collar some measure of respect in the region by bagging the medals at stake or rip some existing records.

The Far Eastern countries represented host China, South Korea, Japan, Hongkong-China, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia and Macau-China boasts athletes that can perform very well even in the world stage, are the perennial favorites in capturing most of the medals up for grab. And halfway through the games, the region amassed a lion’s share of the medals. Far East Asian countries especially China, South Korea and Japan, are heavy favorites in swimming, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, dance sports, gymnastics, chess, athletics, archery, cycling, weightlifting, fencing, shooting, softball and canoeing and kayaking.

The former territories that formed Union of Soviet Socialists Republic (USSR) like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyztan and Tajikistan which comprises Central Asia are also contending for top honors in the event. The region is strong in chess, dancesports, gymnastics, cycling, boxing, athletics, tennis, football, basketball, rowing and canoeing and kayaking.

The Game’s darkhorse, the Middle East or Western Asian countries are locked for a battle and will surely make their presence felt in events like basketball, football, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling. Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan form the Middle East bloc.

The South Asia which is consists of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Seychelles are pinning their hopes in events like cricket, khabaddi, tennis, chess, athletics, shooting, weightlifting, and boxing, billiards and snooker.

Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste from South East Asia are force to reckon with in boxing, chess, bowling, golf, sepak takraw and billiards and snooker.

The games which will end on November 27, 2010, will truly showcase the strength, wit and courage of the participating athletes from all over Asia.

China as expected is leading charge in the medal tally followed by South Korea and Japan.

Related Links:

Philippines Beat India in Fifth Round to Wrest Second Place in Asian Games

Philippines Upsets Kazakhstan in 4^th Round of Chess Competition in Asiad

2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou China

The Complete Lists of Filipino Medalists in the 2010 Asian Games

Philippines Loses to Japan in Asian Games

RP U-16 Five Lost to Iran

Iran using its edge in heft and size subdued previously unbeaten Nokia Team-Pilipinas 76-70 in their quarterfinal match in the Fiba U-16 Men’s Championship at the Bandaraga Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Big man mir Fattahi collected 20 points and grabbed down 17 rebounds and point guard Sheil Yousefi scored 15 points and hauled down 17 rebounds to lead the Iranian assault and inflicting loss to the Philippines whose three game winning was snapped for the first time.
With the sorry loss Philippine must hurdle its last semi-final assignment Jordan to gain entry to the semifinals.
A victory by the Philippines over Jordan will paved the way a Philippine-China tip-off, while Iran will clash with South Korea for the other finals slot. The top finishers in the tournament will earn automatic berths in the 2010 Fiba World Cup U-17 Men’s Championships in Hamburg, Germany next year.
Kiefer Ravena, scored a game-high 26 points and sparked a RP rally from a 12 point deficit and even gained a one-point lead in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
But the bulky Fattahi made his presence felt , as he helped his team dominate the succeeding stages of the fourth quarter to seal their thriumph.