Jordan Clarkson responds to Chot Reyes being booed by Filipino crowd / News - Basketnews.com

Clarkson called it weird that the crowd was booing the head coach Reyes before the game when the squad needed their support. He said the roster will keep fighting because the remaining two games are still very important.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas had high hopes for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but they lost all three games in the First Round. Before the match against Italy, head coach Vincent Reyes was booed by the local Araneta Coliseum crowd.

Player of the Game EFF 19 Nicolo Melli Points 10 Accuracy 3-8 Rebounds 6 Assists 7

Asked about it after the loss against Italy on Tuesday, Gilas Pilipinas leader Jordan Clarkson admitted that it was a weird situation knowing that the home team needed all the support since they still had a chance to advance to the Second Round.

"I'm not around the situation to figure out what it's for or whatever as much. But yeah, I guess it is a little weird with us hosting and us being the host country," the star guard said.

"Like you said, it does, at that point, feel a little weird. Kind of just out of the ordinary, honestly," Clarkson admitted.

With no chance of advancing further, Gilas Pilipinas will now fight for the lone ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games that's reserved for the best-placed Asian team in the World Cup.

"We're super motivated. From the beginning, we've been motivated. Our team is strong, we fight, we aren't giving up throughout the whole game. Basketball is a game of missed shots and, you know, ups and dows. What happens is we string together runs, and we go out and compete until the end of the horn," Clarkson said.

"We haven't really felt like we've been out of the games. And we're fighting. We're strong mentally," the star player continued. "We're going to try and put it together and try and get these two. We know what it means, and we know what it means for the country. We're going to leave it all out on the floor."

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