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Now that the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah has begun, there have been a lot of stories about the possibility of Jalen Green and Dylan Harper playing for the Philippine National Team in the near future. True, both have confirmed Filipino lineage. But playing for Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA tournaments are tall orders, if not totally unlikely.

Firstly, Green and Harper failed to obtain Philippine passports before turning 16 years old. Secondly, these promising NBA superstars have already played for U19 teams for the United States.

 With it, waiting them to see don Philippines’ jersey as locals is like waiting a ship at the airport.

It was my first time to watch a basketball game last July 14 with one team forcing the opposing team not to score a single field goal in an entire quarter. Thanks to the Philippine squad bannered by Strong Group Athletics for the defensive masterstroke on the host squad Chinese – Taipei in the 3rd quarter matchup of the ongoing 44th William Jones Cup. The Filipinos dominated the Taiwanese in the third frame 26- 2, with both points coming only from free throws. Eventually the defending champion SGA Philippines finally sealed with a 67-56 win.
Coach Charles Tiu of the Philippines delivered his stroke of genius against his counterpart.
Though the annual William Jones Cup is not a FIBA-sanctioned tournament, it has traditionally become a battleground for fine tuning of national teams for the upcoming major tourney like the FIBA – Asia Cup and FIBA – World Cup.

My blogging journey on international basketball starts today. Since 2002, my focus on basketball has shifted from following NBA games to FIBA tournaments. The FIBA World Cup in 2002, then known as World Championships, was an eye-opener for me as Team USA placed a dismal sixth. I used to believe that the Americans were far superior to any team in the world. But times have changed. The rest of the world has caught up in basketball.

The views of Thomas Friedman, in his book, “The World is Flat”, has transcended even in the world of sports.

Nearly 23 years after that monumental rude awakening in Indianapolis, I have continuously been witnessing the tilting of the balance in the international game.

This is a journey to share my insights in basketball on a global stage and in a global perspective.