...the Fil-Am basketers in Amsterdam

Pinoy basketball team wins tourney in Amsterdam

 

by Loui Galicia

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

08/20/2011

 

 

THE NETHERLANDS - Filipino-Americans bagged the first international basketball tournament held in Amsterdam.

Patience, hard work and dedication in basketball helped the AmPinoy team (American Pinoy) from Germany to snatch the championship trophy in the tournament organized by the United Filipino Dutch Association (UFDA).

“Ilang taon naming pinagpraktis, ibang labanan…pagdadrive sa ibang lugar sa lahat ng labanan. Mabuti sa wakas, kami na nanalo,” said player Crisanto Costes.

The American Pinoys, all working at the US Air Force's Ramstein Airbase, were weaker at the start of the round robin, having been knocked down by the younger Brussels All Stars players.

But the AmPinoys rebounded and beat 4 other teams to face the Brussels All Stars again in the finals.

This time, the AmPinoys proved strong and fierce, beating the Belgian Pinoys who landed second place.

"We are playing our game. They were just bigger and stronger than us,” Jassin Dulnoan from Brussels All Stars said.

The third place went to the Luxembourg Warriors.

The tournament was the very first international basketball tournament organized by UFDA with participants coming from Antwerp and Brussels in Belgium; Ramstein and Bonn in Germany; Luxembourg; and Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam in Holland.

UFDA even hired professional Dutch referees in its aim to hold an organized and clean tournament.

The referees were surprised and impressed at the basketball skills and quality of play of the Filipinos.

"The players are high [level]. They can basketball. It's no street basketball. It's like the competition in Holland," referee Beatrix Lee Ajam said.

The tournament ended well without any injury or fight and the UFDA only had to give credit to two young and energetic Pinoys Archer Escalona and JP Ramos, who organized the hugely successful event.