A trip down memory lane as we revisit the 1972 Philippine men’s basketball team, the last collection of Filipino cagers to play in the Olympic Games.
In a country where basketball is closely treated as a religion, would you be surprised knowing that the Philippines have been absent from Olympics in almost five decades?
Oh it’s true. Unfortunate, but true.
Nevertheless, Gilas Pilipinas are in the middle of hopefully ending that skid, taking on the daunting task of competing in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
But as the national team get set for FIBA OQT play in Riga, let’s revisit the last Philippine men’s basketball team that qualified for the Olympics, going all the way back to the 1972 Munich Games.
Team Philippines last played basketball in Olympic Games in 1972, placed in Group B alongside host nation West Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Senegal, and eventual gold medal winners in the Soviet Union.
But even before the Munich Games, the Filipino cagers have been a staple in Olympic basketball, making it to five-straight Olympics from the 1936 edition in Berlin all the way to Rome in 1960.
In fact, the country holds the best result of any Asian team in Olympic Games history, ending up in fifth place in 1936.
After failing to qualify in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Philippines returned to Olympic play in Mexico 1968, managing to register a 13th-place finish in the 16-team field.
Going back to that 1972 edition in Munich, our men’s basketball squad consisted of eight-time PBA champion and three-time MVP Bogs Adornado, player-turned politician Freddie Webb, Jimmy Mariano, Danny Florencio, Narciso Bernardo, Joy Cleofas, Yoyong Martires, Tembong Melencio, team captain Ed Ocampo, Manny Paner, Jun Papa, and Marte Samson, with Ning Ramos serving as the head coach.
However, the country started 0-4 in the group stage after lopsided losses against Poland, Puerto Rico, West Germany, and Yugoslavia.
The Filipino cagers eventually snagged their first win, a 68-62 decision over Senegal. Unfortunately, the team got hammered by Soviet Union and Italy to cap off the preliminaries, ending with a 1-6 record and failing to advance.
After a default win against Egypt, who withdrew from the tournament that year, Team Philippines barged into the 13th-16th place classification and beat Japan, 82-73, to cap their campaign in 13th place.
Since then, the Nationals have yet to step onto the Olympic basketball courts again. The closest the team ever got was in 2015 during the FIBA-Asia Championships, falling one win short of making it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Fast forward to 2024, and with a roster featuring a mixture of veterans and young blood in likes of Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, and Chris Newsome, Gilas Pilipinas will vie to finally end a 52-year Olympic drought.
Can the Philippines make it to Paris 2024?