June Mar Fajardo gave 13 years of his Hall of Fame career to Gilas Pilipinas, and last Sunday night, played his last game with the national squad, convinced that he left the team in capable hands.
The nine-time PBA MVP Fajardo tipped his heavily feathered cap to the young guns he leaves the team with, and said the future is bright for the youthful core of the national team.
And as heavy an assignment that Fajardo statement was, Dwight Ramos is up to prove his former center right.
‘For sure, to me, it’s motivation that he’s passing [the team onto] us,’ Ramos told the Inquirer. ‘We have to step up, and as the next generation, we need to bring this team forward.
‘We just have to let them know that [this is], kind of, the ‘golden generation.”
The Filipinos showed glimpses of that generation in the fourth window of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers after sweeping their two assignments-Jordan in overtime, 82-81, courtesy of the heroics of another young gun in Kevin Quiambao and Kai Sotto, and 68-56 over Iran.
After Quiambao and Sotto delivered the goods against the Jordanians, whom the Nationals also beat for the gold in the Asian Games in 2023, Juan Gomez de Liaño took his turn on offense and AJ Edu made a statement on the defensive end for the Philippines against the Iranians.
The twin kills were carved out without the help of a naturalized player, as Justin Brownlee sat it out because of an injury.
And that, according to Ramos, is a good indication that they’re well within striking distance of making this the ‘golden generation.’
‘You have Kai (Sotto), AJ (Edu), Carl (Tamayo), Juan (GDL), KQ (Quiambao) and me. We just have to keep improving because this is how the team will look moving forward,’ Ramos said.
‘We just have to keep improving and try to take this team to the next level, especially with the World Cup coming up.’
Gilas improved to a 4-4 record in Group E after the second round and would need another impressive performance in the next window to make the top three for a main draw slot for the Doha, Qatar showcase next year.
That slot is just a step away. And if achieved, it may just be the start of the generation Ramos is talking about.