By Maxine Lagman
THE New Zealand basketball team is aching to win its match against Gilas Pilipinas as it fights for a spot in the Rio Olympic games.
The Tall Blacks arrived in Manila Friday night and immediately trained the following day for their games against the Gilas Pilipinas on July 6 and France on July 7.
The Kiwis have been training hard in an effort to clinch a berth in the Olympics and offer fans an exciting competition.
“The Tall Blacks and Gilas have played some very competitive matches in recent years, and our upcoming game will be a critical one for both teams looking to progress to the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro,” New Zealand Ambassador David Strachan said.
New Zealand’s coach Paul Henare looks forward to reuniting with Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin, who was a former coach of the Tall Blacks. Henare played under Baldwin in the 2002 FIBA World Cup run.
“I’m very excited to meet him again. [And] this will be a very tough battle,” said Henare.
Veteran team captain Mika Vukona is thrilled of their coming games, telling every player on his team to “trust the process and trust yourself.”
After an hour of training on Saturday, the Tall Blacks also made time to teach and inspire chosen kids from the Aeta community from Pampanga at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The community’s barangay chief Anita Kasupanan said that the children were very excited to train with the New Zealand basketball team.
“Eto ‘yung unang beses na mangyayari sa buhay nila na makapaglaro kasama nu’ng mga basketbolista. Pangarap nila ‘yan, kaya excited sila maglaro,” she said.
Strachan believes that it was important to give back and help the underprivileged communities in realizing their dreams to be someone new. The activity was also a great opportunity to highlight the cultural and sporting links between Filipinos and the Kiwis.
The Tall Blacks also hope to see plenty of support from Filipinos during the tournament.
“We expect the atmosphere to be incredible and the challenge from Gilas Pilipinas to be a great one as they, too, chase a place in Rio,” Henare said.
