SMART GILAS-PILIPINAS WINS FIRST NEW ZEALAND GAME
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 13 Jul 2013
Smart-Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine national men?s basketball team won its first game in its New Zealand tour on Friday when they conquered the Hawkes Bay Hawks, 82-78, at the Hastings Sports Centre in Napier.
?Their imports played great, even outplaying Marcus Douthit, but our three-point shooting was sharp,? Reyes was quoted by interAKTV. ?We need to work on our defense though.?
It was the first assignment for the Philippines in the New Zealand tuneup games. It was also the first time the team played together since the final 12 roster was announced by Reyes.
The final composition of Gilas-Pilipinas team is made up of naturalized center Marcus Douthit, Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Ranidel De Ocampo and Larry Fonacier of Talk ?N Text, Rain or Shine?s Jeff Chan and Gabe Norwood, Ginebra?s LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar, GlobalPort?s Gary David, San Mig Coffee forward Marc Pingris and rookie June Mar Fajardo of Petron Blaze.
Veteran international mentor Tab Baldwin coached the Hawks and he had helped the Philippine team in its preparation for the coming FIBA-Asia on August 1-11, 2013. Baldwin has several foreign stints as mentor of New Zealand, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The two teams Gilas and Hawks will play against each other again the following day, with their second game a closed-door encounter. Gilas will finish their matches in Napier on July 14 when they face an all-star team from the National Basketball League, including top local players reinforced by imports at the Pettigrew Green Arena. The match, which will be open for public viewing will serve as the curtain raiser for the NBL finals.
The Philippine team will have a one-day break to travel to Wellington and play against the Saints, the team groomed to win the NBL title, on July 16 at the Te Rauparaha Arena. Then Gilas will have its final game opposite club teams on July 17 at the St. Kentigerns School Gym in Auckland, when they face the Super City Rangers.
The Philippines' final battle will be versus the formidable Tall Blacks national squad in New Zealand on July 18 once more in a closed-door game.
The Gilas play schedule of three straight games followed by a one-day break before another three straight games was patterned after the first two rounds of the FIBA Asia Championship which Team Pilipinas will follow.
In the FIBA-Asia, the Philippines faces Saudi Arabia on August 1, Jordan on August 2, and Chinese Taipei on August 3. After a one-day break, Gilas will advance into the second round playing against teams from Group B, with three succeeding games in three nights against probable qualifiers Japan, Lebanon, and Qatar.
The cancellation of the invitation to play and defend the crown at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan prompted coach Reyes to let the national team engage in a series of games with one day rest. The 10-day New Zealand trip simulated the Asian tournament schedule.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Carcedo wins WBC Asia South super welterweight title
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 10 Feb 2026Shark attack in Florida Marco “El Tiburón” Romero Making waves on Feb. 19
Tue, 10 Feb 202619-1 Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga returns on February 21 to Atlantic City
Tue, 10 Feb 20262026 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Women's Team and Squad Rosters Announced
Tue, 10 Feb 2026Filipino child prodigy Asher Judd Sy tops the 3rd King’s College Bangkok Chess Championship
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 10 Feb 2026Chaos in Liverpool: Figueroa Silences Echo Arena with 12th-Round Fireworks
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 08 Feb 2026Gabriel Santisima Stuns Unbeaten World Ranked and WBO Asia Pacific Champion Subaru Murata to Capture WBO Asia Pacific Title at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Sun, 08 Feb 2026Lucky "Batang Quiapo" Salvador defeats Rhaky "Roj" Constantino
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 08 Feb 2026Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa: Scrappy Styles Matchup in Liverpool
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 07 Feb 2026Undefeated Middleweight Sebastian Juarez Returns to the Ring February 6 in Guadalajara
Fri, 06 Feb 2026Esquillo, Arpilleda to compete at Lunar Horse Battle Royal 10-Ball Tournament at Pacman's Cue Club
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 06 Feb 2026WEIGHTS AND RUNNING ORDER FOR MEDINA VS. CURIEL IN MEXICO, PLUS MAIN EVENT QUOTES
Fri, 06 Feb 2026Rene Tellez Giron & Luis Torres Battle for Mexican Pride in 10-Round Main Event of ProBoxTV’s ‘The Contender Series’
Fri, 06 Feb 2026Gomera and Ding are set to clash for the WBC Asia 126 belt
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 05 Feb 2026“Thunderdome 53 is stacked and I cant wait to see these fights March 13 at Thunderdome 53 - Promoter Tony Tolj
Thu, 05 Feb 2026