Like most Filipino athletes, Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan knows what it’s like to set foot on foreign soil and perform for flag and country.
For athletes like Catalan, sometimes it is much better to be there and perform than to sit at home and root for your favorite team or athlete.
That is exactly what he will be feeling as the Philippine Men’s National Team travels to Qatar and Kazakhstan for the final leg of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, 22 February and on Sunday, 24 February.
“Been watching them ever since, their courage is unmatched. I know they have what it takes to win regardless if it’s in their opponent's homecourt,” Catalan said.
Catalan knows all about coming into an opponent’s home and taking a win with him when he defeated local hero Stefer Rahardian at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY last January.
A self-professed basketball die-hard supporter since he was a kid in Iloilo, Catalan is confident that the struggling Gilas Pilipinas will rise above this phase.
“These guys have discipline and heart which for me are the two most important traits an athlete must have,” he stated.
“They have great people who are guiding and supporting them, starting with the coaches and of course the millions of Filipinos who are praying and cheering for them.”
The national team will necessarily come in as an underdog against the two squads, but their performances over the past few games have not been encouraging as they have only won one of their last four contest.
But his faith in the squad, which will have the returning naturalized center Andray Blatche back to the fold, remains unwavering.
“Despite our disadvantage in some areas of the game, I believe we can still manage to win games because of our heart and skill.”
Seeing that the team’s back is against the wall, Catalan expects Gilas to pull out all the stops and come away with two crucial wins over the weekend.
Much importantly, Catalan expects the team to show something more than puso in these crucial stages.
“Gilas Pilipinas will show its will to win and will rise to the occasion. They will show the rest of the world that more than our hearts, our lives are part of this sport,” he declared.
“They will defy the odds and will show why we’re one of the best basketball countries in the planet.”
