Out From The Box: Three Minutes of Exorcising the Curse of Korea

Jimmy Alapag, Jimmy Alcampo, Ranidel de Ocampos, Marc Pingris and Gabe Norwood scored crucial points in the last three minutes of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships semi-final game. The game was won by the Filipinos.

The Philippines won the 2014 World Cup. Gilas Pilipinas was the surprise of the tournament despite coming up with only one victory against Senegal. The team kept it close against the likes of Dario Saric, Giannis Antetokoumpo, Luis Scola, and JJ Barea.

Gilas Pilipinas finished seventh at the Asian Games. The team won the World Cup in Spain. Andray Blatche was disqualified from the Games because he lacked the three-year residency required by the OCA. Marcus Douthit was re-activated for duty. Jimmy Alapag played after he was supposed to retire. Gilas lost to Iran, Qatar and South Korea. In the quarterfinal against Kazakhstan, Marcus made a controversial basket.

After the 2014 Asian Games, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas disbanded the Gilas Pilipsinas roster that exorcised the Korea curse. Chot Reyes was almost removed as head coach. Tab Baldwin came in as his replacement and steered Gil as to a consecutive silver medal finish in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships in Hunan, China. Gil would eventually vie for a slot at the Rio Olympics owing to its silver medals in China a year earlier.

The Gilas game against South Korea on August 10, 2013 brought Filipino basketball fans together. The pain of previous defeats to South Korean teams faded in that historic moment.

2013 Gilas Pilipinas beat Korea. Gila's team showed that nothing is impossible.

Philippines is 0-3 against Korea after 2013. Gilas won the game in the last three minutes. If basketball stakeholders don't come together for real change in Philippine basketball, it will be more than the Koreans that need overcoming.