Coach Chot Reyes believes that the Philippines’ participation in the FIBA World Cup serves as a symbol for a country emerging in the consciousness of the international community.
“I think number one, it’s going to be a big psychological boost to the country to be seeing our basketball team competing in the world stage. I think that’s going to have a whole lot of symbolic meaning behind it,” Reyes said.
In the past two years, the Philippines has drawn the attention of foreign analysts because of steady economic growth. Standard & Poor’s, an international credit rating agency, recently said that the country is the undisputed economic leader in Southeast Asia. The Philippines’ economy reached 7.8 percent growth last quarter, the fastest in Asia, and saw it achieve investment grade status from S&P.
The coach believes that Gilas Pilipinas’ recent success can be a microcosm for the country. The team, which will be huge underdogs against the best basketball teams from around the world, could be a rallying point for Filipino people, just like it was in the FIBA Asia Championship.
“You know, to a large extent, that’s what the Philippines is. Small nation, people call us Third World, but we’re still trying to compete on the world stage, whether its arts or music or television or business,” he added.
“That’s what the Philippines is always trying to do. This is a reflection of it.”
Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/chot-reyes-sees-underdog-gilas-pilipinas-reflecting-filipinos-emergence-in-world-stage
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