“Hindi po kami sineswelduhan ng malaki dito. ‘Di katulad sa PBA, sumesweldo kami,” said Pingris shortly after helping Gilas Pilipinas defeat South Korea to advance to the finals of the FIBA Asia Championship.
“Hindi ko po inaano, sakripisyo lang talaga po para sa bayan natin. Kasi masarap po maglaro [para sa bayan] eh. Pero dito, magpapakamatay po kami.”
Gilas coach Chot Reyes said the game underscored Pingris’ importance to the national squad.
“I think Marc Pingris showed why he is in this team. There were a lot of hardships on his part to adjust to how we do things, but in the end I knew that when we needed it, he was going to be there,” said Reyes.
Pingris served as the heart and soul for Gilas especially after naturalized center Marcus Douthit went down because of injury in the second quarter. He finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but his impact on the court went beyond the numbers.
“Sa lahat po ng mga sumuporta sa min, sa mga nagdasal, mga Pilipino po, kayo na po talaga ang nagbibigay lakas sa amin eh. Katulad nung sinasabi ni coach. Puso lang talaga eh,” said Pingris.
Despite the emotions, Pingris found time to crack a joke after the match.
“Mahirap po mahiwalay sa family po namin. Lalo na sa asawa at mga anak,” he told reporters.
“‘Asawa’ lang. Baka mamaya, mailagay niyo, ‘sa mga asawa.’ Asawa lang.”
Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/marc-pingris-on-gilas-pilipinas-hindi-po-kami-sineswelduhan-ng-malaki-para-sa-bayan-lang
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