Gilas players want a shot at Olympics

According to Manila Bulletin, Several members of Gilas Pilipinas who played at the FIBA World Cup expressed a desire to be back for the national team and get a shot at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

To do that, however, Gilas must win the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship to be played in China, a tall order considering that only one Olympic slot is available and the tournament will be played on hostile soil. Asked if they were willing to undergo the sacrifice of doing long training and to be away with their love ones for months, many Gilas players had no reservations.

“That’s not even a question,” said Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood, a 6-foot-5 defensive specialist who has been with the national team since 2007.

“Well, I have to be chosen again first. And if that happens, I’m on it. Definitely, there’s no doubt about it,” said Norwood, whose thunderous dunk over Argentina’s 6-foot-10 center Luis Scola was one of the highlights of the last World Cup in Spain.