THE GILAS Pilipinas’ historic 86-79 win over Korea which gave the country a spot in the 2014 FIBA World Cup sent waves of inspiration that reached shores all over the country, including that of the sport’s southern hotbed, Cebu.
As the nation celebrated the landmark victory late Saturday, basketball players of all sizes dreamed some more of someday reaching the big leagues and representing the country on the world’s biggest stage.
And Cebuanos looking for that role model who can inspire them to new heights should look no further than their very own pride and joy, Pinamungahan’s June Mar Fajardo.
This was echoed by Southwestern University’s (SWU) champion head coach and Cebu provincial board member Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba.
“The Gilas showed that if you play with heart and as a team, anything is possible. (June Mar) Fajardo is further proof of that. Here is a boy from the province who worked hard and disciplined himself in order to reach where he is right now. Players from Cebu should be inspired from his achievement and dream that someday, they too can represent the country,” Alcoseba said. The SWU coach was in Manila to witness the Gilas’ monumental win.
Felix “Donbel” Belano, the current head coach of the University of the Visayas (UV), said the win should motivate Cebuano players even more.
“It’s good for Philippine basketball especially sa college level kasi mas dadami ang players na mag work hard na makapasok sa Gilas team dahil na inspire sila sa pagkapasok ng team natin sa FIBA World Cup,” Belano added. /Correspondent jonas panerio