After his last SEA Games appearance left a bitter taste in his mouth, Matthew Wright is raring for redemption as he returns to Gilas Pilipinas.
Matthew Wright dreadfully waited over three years for a shot at redemption in the Southeast Asian Games.
As a member of Gilas Pilipinas for the regional competition in Thailand next month, Wright finally has a chance to atone for the national team’s stunning defeat to Indonesia in the gold-medal match of the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi.
“It feels great to finally don the Philippine colors once again. Last time I wore it we were unsuccessful in bringing the gold back,” Wright said after conducting a clinic at the B.HOPE Asia Clinic in BGC on Sunday, Nov. 23.
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The former Phoenix winger admitted the Hanoi shocker is a motivation as he returns to official Gilas duties in December.
“So this is definitely motivation and it’s redemption time for us. I really appreciate that coach Norman (Black) gave me that call to come back and play for the country,” he said.
However, Wright’s personal redemption coincides with a much stiffer challenge for Gilas in this year’s SEA Games with both naturalized Filipinos Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame possible out of action.
Reports indicate that Brownlee and Kouame are now out of the Gilas lineup after the Thailand Local Organizing Committee barred naturalized players for the competition.
Nevertheless, Wright is embracing the challenge of leading the team to back-to-back gold medals.
“I’m not too worried about that [exclusion of JB and Kouame]. We can’t really control what Thailand is doing and how they’re going about this,” he said.
“I’ve known about this rule change earlier but I think that’s gonna motivate us to band together and give our best effort… obviously were shorthanded and we would love to have Justin and Ange but i think we have more than capable guys to replace them.”
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.