Respect to the nation that loves basketball

As my friend Sophia wrote in a status on Facebook, yesterday afternoon, upon the appearance of the filipino living in Greece, in her own words «San Pablo», «such support  to the team we never saw again" Well, after the match started, every time a Filipino shoots, the atmosphere reminds concert platform in which Sakis Rouvas (greek singer) sings
From Marcos and Aquino, in Loizagka and Moumar
The brightest medal of Filipinos is the bronze medal who won at the 1954 World Championships is the biggest success of European and non-American country in the history of the institution! Cast in that triumph were legendary figures, led by Carlos Loizagka and Lauro Moumar. 
At the edge of the Filipinos took part in seven Olympic Games (1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1972) and four World Championships (1954, 1959, 1974, 1978), even were the hosts of the World Championship 1978 in Quezon City (in stadium capacity 30,000 spectators!) at Manila.
The most clear proof of Filipino mania for basketball is recommended that the first purely professional league in the world, after that of the NBA! The PBA was founded in 1975 and therefore they suffered the consequences of the ban on the participation of professional players in the FIBA championships until 1989, when it concluded the «Open Basketball».
The "black book" of Filipinos
Filipinos are found three times in the vortex of the storm and were punished by exclusion from FIBA competitions, due to violations of regulations and unsportsmanlike behavior. The culmination of this "black book" was the refusal of President Ntiosdado Makampagkal to admit groups of Eastern bloc for the World Championship which had undertaken to organize (but was deprived and commissioned in Chile) the country in 1963. 
Also in 1986, the Filipinos withdrew from participation in the World Championship of Spain where even been drawn in the group of Zaragoza, together with Greece (and eventually replaced by France), due to the political unrest of that period. After the rigged elections of July there was a coup that toppled the Marcos fled to Hawaii and went on to rule the Corazon Aquino. 
Basketball was introduced in the Philippines in 1913, while the federation was founded in 1936 and was one of the first members of FIBA. That same year, the Filipinos took part in the inaugural Olympic basketball tournament in Berlin where he ranked fifth in presenting a group called «Islanders» (islanders). Nicknamed the current national team, controlled by way of sponsorship from the company «Smart Communications» is «Gilas Pilipinas," which in Tagalog dialect means Philippine Philippine elegance and gallantry.
Jean Marc Pingkris The 32 year old (height 1.92) is the most popular and the most ... famous native Filipino player, well, apart from the fact he is half filipino, also has great life style !  Born of a French father, who left very early the family, and abandon Pingkris with theFilipina mother and grew up in poverty .  "We are a short people, which is crazy with basketball and wherever you gaze you will see baskets and children to play," says Pingkris, rejected by the first team which was tested! But then he took his revenge and now sees half a million dollars a year, while the whole country is engaged on a daily basis with him.