On-standby Belo high on Gilas team’s chances in SEA Games

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

HIS STATUS in playing for Gilas Pilipinas in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games may still be uncertain, but Philippine Basketball Association star rookie Mac Belo is still very much committed to the national team and high on its chances in the regional biennial meet.

Left out from the SEA Games roster because of a knee injury he suffered earlier this year, doctors recently gave the Gilas cadet the green light to compete but it came a tad too late as the official team roster had already been submitted to event organizers.

Gilas officials has been appealing to the SEA games committee to let Mr. Belo play for the team, in place of Carl Bryan Cruz who is still playing for the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Cup, but there is still no word yet if it has been granted as of this writing.

But just the same, the Blackwater star rookie has been practicing with the national team and is set to join Gilas when it travels to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Games.

“It is still not sure if I will be able to play in Malaysia for the SEA Games but I’m staying in condition, practicing with the team, and I’m ready if they call me up for duty,” said Mr. Belo in an interview with BusinessWorld during the send-off for Filipino athletes for the SEA Games last week hosted by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission.

“Of course, there is a little frustration since my status is still uncertain but it something beyond my control. Despite that I’m still committed to the team and it has my full support,” the 24-year-old former Far Eastern University standout said.

Mr. Belo went on to say that Gilas should expect improved competition in the SEA Games, recognizing how other teams in the region have worked on their game.

“The other teams in Southeast Asia have improved in recent years and are being competitive. But that is not lost to us. We are looking at it as a challenge for us to improve our game as well and fine-tune the Gilas program moving forward,” he said.

With the Philippines acknowledged as the king of basketball in the region, Mr. Belo said there is pressure on their part to live up to it but he said the team is ready and will give its all come the competition proper.

“The pressure is there because we always take the gold but we accept that. Our mind-set is to be champions. We are young as most of the members of the team are cadet players but we are ready and I believe it’s going to be a good experience for us,” said Mr. Belo even as he expressed honor and pride in having been given the opportunity to represent the country in international basketball competitions.

In the list submitted by the Gilas think tank for the SEA Games are PBA campaigners Troy Rosario (TNT), Baser Amer (Meralco), Von Pessumal (San Miguel), Kevin Ferrer (Barangay Ginebra), Mike Tolomia (Meralco), Mr. Cruz (Alaska) and Almond Vosotros (free agent).

Also included are collegiate standouts Kiefer Ravena, Ray Parks and Raymar Jose, US collegiate player Kobe Paras and Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger. Coach of the team is Jong Uichico.