ROBERT Bolick will lead a mix of young and veteran players as the Philippines defends its men’s basketball crown at the 2026 Asian Games, which begins on Sept. 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Nine months since coveting the gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, Bolick looks to achieve a rare feat of also winning the Asian Games gold.
The 30-year-old NLEX guard will have a chance to achieve the feat that only Justin Brownlee, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana and Arvin Tolentino had achieved for the Philippines. They all played in the national team that ruled the 32nd SEA Games and the 19th Asian Games.
“Happy and excited, hopefully we can fulfill our goal,” Bolick said in Filipino during a press conference via Zoom on Thursday afternoon.
Bolick understood that defending the Asian Games championship will be difficult since the team will play with an all-Filipino lineup in the absence of a naturalized player.
“During SEA Games we really don’t have any expectations; we don’t have any import, and same with [the Asian Games] right now, no expectations. You know maybe we will be lucky, even though without an import,” he said. During the 19th Asian Games, the Philippines had the help of NBA star Jordan Clarkson.
“You know, if we won the gold, maybe we can’t sleep. We will have a difficult time sleeping if we won the gold medal,” he said.
Bolick said the current Philippine team has natural chemistry that will serve to their advantage.
“It’s like everything is so natural with us as a team, and nothing is forced. All of us are having fun; we share the same banter, but when it’s training time, all of us are focused; it’s so good to have this team,” Bolick said.
“I try to also observe the strengths of each player, where they are comfortable in shooting their shot, and what plays benefit them the most.”
He also said that he wanted to play for Gilas Pilipinas in any of the FIBA Cup Qualifying windows, where he last suited up in 2019.
“Of course, hopefully, who would not want to, right? Every player wants to, I guess. Hopefully, hopefully,” he said.
