The Philippines' campaign in the 2014 FIBA World Cup n Spain has ended on a good note after toppling Senegal in overtime, 81-79. They ended up with a record of 1-4, leaving them out of contention for the next round. Despite this, many basketball fans were impressed by the team from Southeast Asia. Why not? The team, known to its local fans as Gilas, which means elegant or impressive, has the best net rating among all teams that were eliminated in the group stage according to an NBA advanced statistics writer John Schuhmann. In their four losses, three of them could have gone either way and went down to the last shot.
This is why it is not surprising to hear FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann give praises to the Philippines' 2014 FIBA World Cup short run. The high ranking basketball officials even thinks that the country will be back in the competition and they will beat many teams.
"I think the Philippines proved they belong on the world level, the world's elite," Baumann said as per report by Filipino news site Interaksyon.
"I think with patience and with a lot of hard work back in the country to grow further talents and bring this team together more in the future, by next World Cup in 2019, Philippines will be back there and they will start to beat everybody that they meet on the court."
Baumann has been following Philippines basketball for a long time. In fact, he is impressed with the team's huge improvement in just one year.
"Certainly if you compare the team as it played last year in the Asian championship and to compare with this team, there's been a huge jump in quality and savoir faire in how to go a game," he said.
"What we have mostly appreciated is it came on the court. They were unimpressed. They fought for their right to beat Croatia, beat Argentina."
"There are young players there. There are players that shoot like hell. It's just incredible to see them. There's (naturalized NBA player Andray) Blatche, who's playing an incredible World Championship, even injured. You have to give him a lot of credit for the heart he's given to the team," he said.
"We were all impressed."
