All About Gilas: My Gilas Pilipinas Viral Tweet

'Do you think Gilas Pilipinas needs a new naturalized player?'

I really loved basketball culture here in our country and yesterday my tweet became viral when recently import re-enforcement of the newly crown Commissioner's Cup Champion San Miguel Beermen quoted my tweet.

Since I was a kid I really love playing basketball. I remember those times that even the sun is up in the noon sky I'm on the court hustling and dribbling even if our skin roast in the heat of the sun.

Basketball in the Philippines has been a  huge part of its culture. Wherever you will go - be it in the streets of Metro Manila or in the provinces - basketball court will always be present. Just by walking in the streets of a certain community, there will always be a place where boys will be playing basketball. It can be  makeshift half court with a D.I.Y. ring, or a covered court complete with other facilities like the scoreboard and the benches.

Despite a lack of height, basketball fanatics-mostly boys go through their interest in the sports in their young years, which can be pursued as they grow older.

Yesterday our national team dealt its super massacre lost in FIBA World Cup 2019 at the hands of the Serbs, the Serbia team, a super team which is currently have the most number of NBA players in its roster and this team is at the World Rank no. 3. Third of the most prolific ballers in the world. Philippines lost to Serbia by a big margin of 59 points, 126 - 57. The lost of the Gilas Pilipinas sparked an outrage of the Filipinos of the so, so low quality of basketball they shown against the Serbs. Even our naturalized NBA naturalized play Andray Blatche didn't perform well. We are not the same team back in 2014 where we show the world that we belong to this clash of champions tournament. 2014 was amazing year for Philippine basketball where we go head to head against Croatia, Argentina, Greece, Puerto Rico and African champs Senegal team which we beat on our last game via double-overtime.

Jason Derulo (feat. Tia Ray) - 'Champion'

I wish that we still have that fighting spirit way back 2014. Today was very different performance. There's lack of energy, turnovers all over the floor, poor shooting from the arc and most specially we aren't able to execute a play. We also lost to powerhouse Italy on our first game with a blow out as well. It was a 46-point lead deficit.

I really love our chances, however the teams who beat us execute well rather than us. We were outplayed several times and we early put into penalty due to our fouls.

Everybody thinks that our naturalized Gilas player Dray Blatche was out of condition. He gained a lot of weight before he came here in the Philippines. He is tremendously out of shaped during the first two games of the Nationals. That leads me to a tweet that I never knew that it would gone viral.

I followed San Miguel Beer's Chris McCollough account on Twitter. He was a late substitution to San Miguel's line up before SMB struggled for wins with their old reliable import Charles Rhodes. Rhodes was replaced and McCollough came in. From the cellar of standings San Miguel immediately got back to track and C-Mac showed up with great performance and played well. They reached the Semifinals by beating Rain or Shine and also defeated Talk N Text ;ed NBA Houston Rockets veteran Terrence Jones into six games. San Miguel became the newly crowned champion for the Commissioners Cup.

Philippines vs. Serbia highlights

Chris McCollough, for me fits for the National team. He's young, got discipline, athletic, he had the reached that can defend and blocked shots, a mighty defender and most of all a tall guy with pure shooting on the trey area. I hope that SBP evaluate him and consider him as a candidate to be a naturalized Gilas player in 2023.

When Chris registered his first tweet on September 2, I immediately sent a tweet to him letting him know that Team Gilas Pilipinas might need his service on the next FIBA World Cup tournament as we went really flat on the current World Cup in China. 

A minute later, quoted my tweet and replied that the only thing we really need to do right now is to "Sign him up."

Chris McCollough a former NBA player of Philadelphia 76ers quoted my tweet and replied "Sign me up"

After the quoted tweet posted online it looks like many of the Filipino fanatic basketball fans agreed on my tweet to let Chris play on the Gilas side. Even former naturalized player Kuya Marcus Douthit nod on this player's performance.

Marcus Douthit's follow up tweet.

The tweet was also featured on ESPN 5 Facebook's timeline and it went viral. I never thought that it will become viral all I want is to let him know that Gilas Pilipinas in my opinion Gilas needs his services in the next FIBA World Cup window. Gilas is currently winless in four games. There last assignment will be the Asian rival Iran this coming Sunday. We are officially bowed out on our chances and out of contention on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I hope we finally get a big W on Sunday's last game.