He’s been a sportscaster for almost 40 years.
Sev Sarmenta has been in the sports business since the 1980s. Aside from being a broadcaster, the hats he wore included being a TV producer, a sportswriter, a professor, a book author, and a few others. In short, the guy knows what he’s talking about, especially when it comes to sports. On Saturday, he made a bold claim regarding Gilas Pilipinas’ upcoming campaign in the FIBA World Cup.
According to the veteran anchor, the Philippine squad possesses an edge that could take them past the group phase.
“I think we’ll get into the second round, our home crowd will carry us straight into that round. The home crowd is a big help, they will be our sixth man, our assist people during this tournament," Sarmenta told Ian Suyu of News5.
Perhaps another motivating factor that the acclaimed sports journalist is looking at is the incentive to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which the marquee international tournament is offering.
“I think the main target for this team is to be the best Asian team so that we qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics which is a long-term dream din naman ng SBP."
Philippines made noise in the 2014 edition of the FIBA World Cup. Back then, Gilas showed that it can hang with powerhouse basketball nations. For Sarmenta, it could be a basis of how Gilas would fare against its group stage opponents this time, which will be the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Angola.
“Ang batayan dito kasi nung 2014, binulaga natin yung mga teams na malalakas e, mga Argentina, Greece, Puerto Rico, muntik-muntikan na nating talunin 'yang mga 'yan so there is optimism.”
(With reports from Ian Suyu, News5)
(CF)