Basketball
Gary David excited to play for flag and country once more
AKTV/Pranz Kaeno Billones
Gary David’s season with the Powerade Tigers may be over, but the PBA’s top scorer is looking forward to even more basketball as part of the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national program.
David is a shoo-in to be part of the Philippine team set to compete in the annual William Jones Cup tournament in August in Taipei, Taiwan.
“Pinaghahandaan ko yung pagsali sa national team. Nakaka-apat na ensayo na kami, pero ang maganda walang conflict sa schedule dahil once a week lang,” David told InterAKTV in a telephone interview.
“Excited na ako na i-represent yung national team dahil huli kong laro sa Philippine team 2003 pa.”
David was a member of the gold-medal winning Philippine team that won the Southeast Asian Games gold medal in basketball in Vietnam in 2003. Among his teammates on that squad were James Yap, Marc Pingris, Ranidel De Ocampo, Paul Artadi, Willy Wilson, Rich Alvarez, and Celino Cruz
The Philippine Cup’s Best Player of the Conference said his ankle injury, which hampered him at the end of Powerade’s Governors’ Cup campaign, is getting better.
“Nag-start na ako ng therapy. Medyo maganda na pakiramdam ko ngayon,” he added.
David said he likes the system installed by SMART-Gilas coach Chot Reyes, the same man who drafted David as a rookie in 2004.
“Maganda ginagawa ni coach Chot. Dumadampot rin siya ng mga plays na katulad ni ginagawa naming sa Powerade, ganun din sa plays ng Rain or Shine,” he said.
Reyes said he will use the players from the 16-man PBA pool to comprise the squad in the William Jones Cup, but has yet to name the final line up at this time.
