Selena Marie So HS 3-6 I Didnt Want to be the Star Yun lang naman talaga yung gusto kong mangyari,(This

was all I wanted) he said. Basta makatulong lang ako sa team, okay na ako. Di ko naman gusto na ako yung bida o ako yung magpapanalo. Gusto ko lang may maitulong ako.(As long as I can help the team, then I am already okay. I didnt want to be the star or the one who would make the team win. I just wanted to help.) These were the words Gary David said after merely scoring a disappointing five points in the FIBA Asia elimination round won by Chinese Taipei. But to the thousands of stunned Filipino fans, how could he, supposed to be the best scorer in the PBA, say that? The FIBA Asia championships is an Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championships and the Olympic basketball tournament. This is a very crucial tournament since the top three winning teams will not only have the prestige of becoming known as the best teams in Asia, but they will also earn the honor of pitting their talents against the best in the world as they represent not only their country but also Asia in the in the World Championships next year. As the host country for the FIBA Asia championships this year, The Philippines or Smart Gilas Pilipinas has the homecourt advantage that is expected to propel them to victory. The intensity of the pressure to win on the players, as we can imagine, must be almost crushing. Famously known as El Granada, Gary David is a Filipino professional player in the PBA who plays as the shooting guard for the Global Port Batang Pier. His professional career started when he entered the 2004 PBA draft, and was selected as the tenth pick by the then-Coca-Cola Tigers. David was then moved to Air21 Express where he became a major factor to the victory of the team. In the 2011-2012 season, he was named the Best Player of the Conference for the PBA Philippine Cup. David was then chosen to be part of the Smart Gilas Pilipinas team that was built to compete in the 2014 World Championships. Gary David was the one the team was relying on to pile in the points. In the elimination round, Gilas Pilipinas, because of Davids poor performance, lost the game against Taipei. Because of this, they would have to win all their next games and hope that Taipei loses a game against the other teams. In view of their-just concluded loss to Taipei, the task before them seemed insurmountable. A shroud of despair and hopelessness hang over the Filipino fans. Heartbroken, some of them started throwing the blame in Davids direction. Social media was filled with criticisms and some even questioned his qualifications to be chosen as part of the team. There were however, those who staunchly stood by him. His former coach Rajka Toroman defended shooter Gary David saying that he was a volume shooter. These kinds of shooters like Gary David, he cant pick up his pace in two or three minutes because he is a volume shooter. You must wait for him, Toroman said. After Taipei lost to Qatar, the elimination round had the Philippine team in first place in their division, thus getting a match against Kazakhstan. And despite all the negative feedbacks, David was able to redeem himself in this match, scoring twenty-two points and leading the team to a glorious win. Gilas Pilipinas continued their winning streak and won their next game against traditional powerhouse Korea in the semifinals, automatically giving them a spot in the FIBA World Championships. Perhaps the statement David said after the loss against Taipei was simply an outburst of frustration since he wasnt able to play well that day. Or maybe it was an act of humility. Nevertheless, Filipinos should now have nothing to complain about; Gilas Pilipinas is in the FIBA World championships, and it was through the teamwork of the playersincluding Gary Davidthat made the victory possible.