DWIGHT Ramos was a steady contributor and one of the Gilas Pilipinas’ bright spots despite the team’s poor performance in the recently concluded 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The 25-year-old Gilas wing man, who had a severe right ankle injury in January, had an unbelievable World Cup performance as a local.
During Gilas’ five-game run, he averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 30.8 minutes of action.
Many believe that Ramos, along with other promising local players such as AJ Edu and Kai Sotto, will be one of the faces of Philippine basketball in the next few years.
And Ramos has declared that he is always ready to play for the country.
Ramos discussed his long-term aspirations to play for the Philippine national team during a press conference for his Japan B.League Levanga Hokkaido squad.
“I can’t say for sure what’s going to happen in the future,” he said. “But as long as I’m still playing at a high level and my body can hold up, then I’m going to keep on playing for the (Philippine) national team.”
He has been one of the most consistent players and has been available for the country during all of Gilas’ games.
In future games, he will undoubtedly contribute the skills he honed from going up against international teams such as the Dominican Republic, Italy, Angola, and South Sudan.
Ramos said the most important lesson he learned from the World Cup was the need to make swift adjustments in a short period of time.
“After one game, you prepare for the next guy, the next team. You have to prepare quickly and learn everything fast,” he said.
Playing for Japan
The Gilas standout is presently in his third season in Japan’s B.League. He noted that Japanese local players have vastly improved over the years of playing against them.
While Gilas fell short of its goal of competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ramos is pleased to see Japan represent Asia in the games.
But he is also keeping his hopes high that the Philippines will one day be in the basketball Olympics.
“I’m hoping that the Philippines can get back there one day,” he said.
For the time being, Filipino fans may rest assured that Ramos will always answer the call to represent the country, and that he plans to be around for a long time.
