Armed with vengeful resolve and pride, Robert Bolick and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas conquered the SEA Games 2025 and won the gold medal anew despite lineup woes.
There is an overwhelming sense of satifaction for Gilas Pilipinas after capturing the gold medal against host Thailand in the SEA Games 2025 Friday night, Dec. 10.
Just ask skipper Robert Bolick.
“Ang sarap ng feeling. Gold, ang sarap,” said Bolick shortly after the Nationals erased a 13-point deficit and survived a late Thailand rally for a 70-64 win.
What made this conquest even sweeter, according to Bolick, was the squad endured Thailand’s constantly changing rules on eligibility in the days leading up to the meet, forcing Gilas to revamp its initial roster.
[RELATED STORY: SBP relieved as Gilas Men finalize SEA Games roster after several eligibility changes]
“Lahat kami dito, nagtulungan. Team C kami rito. Siyempre, lahat ng Plipino, gustong makita si Remy Martin, si Justin Brownlee. Kahit kami, gusto namin sila makita,” said Bolick, who was among the last-minute additions to the lineup that already had overseas pros Ray Parks, Matthew Wright and Thirdy Ravena.
That only fortified Bolick and company’s resolve to sustain the country’s supremacy in Southeast Asia.
“Pinahirapan tayo. Akala nila, 'pag kami, madali lang. Kahit sinong maglaro, basta Pilipino ang maglaro dito, ibang klase ang puso,” said Bolick.
“Lahat kami, isa lang ang goal namin, bawian 'yong ginawa nilang pagpapahirap sa coaching staff namin sa SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas).”
Despite the lineup issues and limited window of preparations, the Filipinos reminded everyone they are still the region’s basketball kings.
“Lahat kami, gustong makita si Remy Martin, (Mike) Phillips, Brownlee. Mga gustong panoorin ng mga kababayan natin. So, dinenay nila. So ito kami, ipinakita naming kahit sinong nagmamahal dito sa Pilipinas, mananalo talaga,” Bolick said.
(With reports from Nic Earnshaw/Cignal)
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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.