Dwight Ramos on Gilas' win vs. Latvia in FIBA OQT: Best win in my career

For Gilas Pilipinas star Dwight Ramos, the Philippines' win against Latvia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament could be described as the 'best win' in his career.

The Philippine men's national basketball team took down world no. 6 Latvia, 89-80, to tally its first win in the qualifiers.

The upset proved to be crucial as it, along with a narrow loss against Georgia, allowed the Philippines to advance to the semifinal round.

"The win is like the best win in my career, that’s what it felt like," Ramos said on Friday prior to a fan meet with the Gilas star.

"I think a lot of people thought we wouldn't get into the semis but after we lost the game against Brazil, it felt like we should have won the whole tournament so it still felt like a disappointment for us."

Gilas lost to Brazil, 71-60, which capped the Philippines' campaign in the Olympic qualifiers.

Brazil eventually booked the spot to the Paris Games.

"They played well against us and then they turned up and even played better against Latvia in the finals, they deserve it, but I think if not them then it should’ve been us," Ramos said.

Despite this, Ramos believes the future remains bright for the national team.

"Super bright. We still have a bunch of years until the [2027 FIBA] World Cup, and we really only practiced for four days before we left. So [with] four days of practice, we still made it to the semis," he said.

The Gilas star also believes his OQT experience will help him in his upcoming third season with Japan B.League team Levanga Hokkaido.

"I just feel like I keep getting better, especially when you play well in the World Cup and in the Olympic Qualifying [tournament]. [It] just gives you more confidence like I could show up in big games so when I play in the B.League, I’ll be ready for sure."

Ramos posted averages of 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.7 steals per game in the Olympic qualifiers.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News