The smallest guy on the floor had the largest impact on Gilas’ historic triumph in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Thursday night.
With a little over four minutes left in the third quarter of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers game between Gilas Pilipinas and the New Zealand Tall Blacks, and the visitors leading 60-56, Kai Sotto put up a tough fadeaway shot.
The Tall Blacks’ Sam Waardenberg contested it, causing the shot to fall way short. The ball was headed out of bounds with possession seemingly back to New Zealand. Out of nowhere, Scottie Thompson lunged for the ball, and just before his foot hit the baseline, he rifled a pass to Chris Newsome who hit a basket underneath.
The Tall Blacks’ coach Judd Flavell protested, claiming Thompson was already out of bounds before he made the pass, but a subsequent replay showed that the former PBA MVP was able to release the ball just microseconds before his shoe hit the Mall of Asia Arena floor.
It was, quite simply, the play of the game. The momentum shifted, for Thompson’s effort to hustle for the ball energized the crowd. And he wasn’t done. After a defensive stop featuring a Sotto block, Thompson hit a triple that gave Gilas the lead for good and fueled a huge 16-0 run that propelled them to a historic 93-89 win over the Tall Blacks, the first ever win by the Philippines over New Zealand in an official FIBA game.
The play perfectly encapsulated the overall impact Scottie Thompson had on this game. Sure, Sotto and Justin Brownlee provided the scoring punch and rebounding, while Newsome buried the dagger three late in the game,
But Thompson’s fingerprints were all over this win. If he wasn’t outrebounding players a head taller than him, he was quarterbacking the offense, stroking it from the outside, or playing heads-up defense on the Tall Blacks’ guards.
And to think that there were those who wondering if a slender, six-foot-one guard would be capable of making an impact with Gilas Pilipinas.
“Well, I remember a time,” Gilas coach Tim Cone, who is also Thompson’s coach on Barangay Ginebra, narrated after the game, “I remember this time very distinctly where there was a lot of talk about Scottie can’t play at the international game. I don’t know if you guys remember that. But there were a lot of people saying he can’t play in the international game because he can’t shoot.
“But, you know, in my mind, there’s never been any doubt. And in his mind, there’s never any doubt.”
Scottie Thompson finished with a stat line of 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in nearly 33 minutes of playing time, but those numbers only tell half the story. As has been the anthem of his PBA career, it’s the little things he does that truly matter.
“The thing with Scottie is you can look at video all you want,” Cone continued. “Until you actually get on the floor and play against him, you don’t realize what he’s doing out there on the floor for you.
“In terms of rebounds, I mean, in terms of his tremendous rebounding, I think that’s what gets the most print. But his defense is spot on. His hustle on the defensive side is spot on. And he’s really, really worked hard on improving his shot. And so he’s not a guy you can just step off of anymore.
“And his ability to get to the rim and create has always been there, you know. He’s been that triple-double machine ever since he was at Perpetual. So to me, it’s not a surprise.
“But just because it’s not a surprise doesn’t make it amazing. Still amazing the things he does. But it’s not a surprise to us. And it’s not a surprise to Kai and all of his teammates.”
Scottie Thompson missed the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga last July due to injury, so his return was a welcome development for Gilas as it shoots for an automatic slot in the FIBA Asia Cup main tournament on Sunday against Hong Kong. One of his Ginebra teammates is certainly happy that he’s back.
“Welcome back, Scottie,” said Brownlee, who topscored for Gilas with 26. “He was great. His energy is always unmatched. He’s always the hardest working guy on the floor. He rebounds over seven-footers. He’s one of a kind for sure.”
Banner Images from FIBA.