to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
The stage is set. Will the youthful, battle-tested continuity template of the West’s elite hold firm? Or will newly-minted “superteams” click fast enough to steal the spotlight? This season promises another unforgettable theatre of star power, redemption schemes and perhaps, the birth of budding careers and team dynasties.
The next Asian Games should not be another four-year wait followed by another medal count. It should be the result of four years of deliberate work. The medals we win in the next Asian Games will be determined, in large measure, by what we do with the athletes we have today – and by the urgency we demonstrate in dealing with it.
The country cannot build a strong internationally-competitive sports program simply by discovering a few exceptional athletes and supporting them heavily when they have reached the ‘elite’ level. We need to create a pipeline. And this pipeline has to discover, then develop, then compete, then specialize, in order to reach international standards.
Here’s an intriguing question about team chemistry. Is it necessarily better to have twelve outstanding veteran players, with everyone expecting major minutes? Could the lack of playing time for some affect the team’s chemistry?
I’ve got Team USA and France battling it out in the Finals. I expect Team USA to reach the top and claim their fifth consecutive World Cup crown. But the gap has definitely shrunk. The lesson from the near-disaster against Italy is that raw talent is no longer a shield against cohesive, hungry international teams. A cohesive team with 3 to 4 WNBA players can take down a team of USA superstars if they don’t make good music together. If the US doesn’t sort out its internal flow, Spain, France, or a surging Germany will happily take the crown.
This is not the star-studded Gilas team we expected. But it is precisely the kind of team that defines the true spirit of Philippine basketball. When the odds are stacked against us, when our backs are against the wall, and when the world counts us out – that is when Puso shines the brightest.
