BY WAYLON GALVEZ
In 2011, the original Smart Gilas Pilipinas took part in the FIBA-Asia Championship that served as the qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics.
Host of that event was the City of Wuhan.
Nine years later, the capital of the Hubei province in China has become the epicenter of the coronavirus (COVID-19) that has affected thousands of lives and put the world on a standstill.
Wuhan is so charming that they could not believe it would become a scourge.
“Sino ang mag-aakala na dun sa Wuhan maguumpisa ang ganitong kalaking problema ng mundo,” said Ranidel de Ocampo, one of the PBA players to reinforce the national team in the said Asian Championship.
“Naiisip ko nga… paano kung noong 2011 nangyari itong nangyayari, tapos naglalaro nandoon kami naglalaro biglang pumutok ang mapaminsala na virus tapos hindi kami makauwi.”
“Hindi lang naman Pilipinas ang naglalaro… madaming teams at iba pang tao maaapektuhan. Mas nakakatakot kung iisipin kasi andun ka sa lugar e, andun ka mismo kung saan nagumpisa,” added de Ocampo, who was part of TNT KaTropa at that time but now plays for the Meralco Bolts.
The national team had a mixture of top amateur players reinforced by PBA campaigners in de Ocampo, Asi Taulava, Jimmy Alapag and Kelly Williams with naturalized player Marcus Douthit.
Led by Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman, Smart Gilas Pilipinas advanced to the semifinal round by beating Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinal stage, but lost in the Final Four to Jordan – then handled by Tab Baldwin, now the program director of Gilas.
The national team also lost to South Korea in the battle for bronze medal game.
One of the amateur players on that Smart Gilas squad was Chris Tiu, who remembered Wuhan as a busy industrial city as well as big sports stadiums like the one where they played, the 13,000-seater Wuhan Gymnasium.
“I remember it was an industrial town with a world class gymnasium where we competed. We hardly went out because of our tight schedule. I remember the battles we went through,” said Tiu, who played seven years for Rain or Shine in the PBA before retiring in 2018.
Tiu said that the fight against the deadly Covid-19 now is something he didn’t expect, although this is something that the Filipinos, and the rest of the world should face together with God at the center.
“I thought this would only happen in the movies and never in our lifetime,” Tiu said.
“But after praying a lot, I realized that God probably is calling out to us, reminding us to slow down with our busy lives and to come back to Him. God is reminding us to realty appreciate the simple joys and blessings around us,” added Tiu.
Mark Barroca, another amateur player at that time but now plays for Magnolia, remembers Wuhan as a beautiful city, and his experience there as a member of the national team is unforgettable.
With the health crisis now, he said Filipinos should learn from how they battled during that 10-day tournament.
“Nakakalungkot lang na ganito ang nangyari, kasama ang buong mundo. Lahat naman tayo ay apektado sa nangyayari,” said Barroca. “Ang magagawa natin sa ngayon e magtulung-tulong hanggang sa mawala ito. Ito ang tamang oras para magkaisa tayong lahat.”
