Ex-national youth team members Matthew Wright, Norbert Torres happy for reunion at Gilas
Photos from PBA Media Bureau Phoenix Fuel Masters teammates Matthew Wright and Norbert Torres are happy to be given the chance to play for the Philippines again after first serving the country nearly a decade ago. Wright and Torres, both raised in Canada, first got a taste of international basketball when they were still teenagers, suiting up for the Nokia-RP youth national team in 2008 coached by Franz Pumaren. Now that they are pros, the two have the opportunity to do it again as they’ve been named to the newest Gilas Pilipinas pool. Teaming up for flag and country for the second time is a “dream come true” for Wright and Torres. “Back then, we’re all just kids. To have a friend like Norbert, play for the RP Youth and with Gilas, that’s a huge thing for me. You can imagine like how special that is to represent the Philippines. This will be my second time. Never in my wildest dreams that I’ll be playing for the country,” Wright said. “Actually, I wasn’t born here. But my mother is a Filipina, she raised me along with my grandma. So I feel like this is my calling. What I meant to do is to come back to the Philippines and just try to make my family proud and help the country in becoming the best team in Asia.” Torres had the same sentiments. “The way I see it it’s like a dream come true for me that I’m already part of the pool and have an opportunity to represent the country. Just to be part of that pool is an honor already. Plus the fact that Matthew is already there. We grew up together. It’s a great honor for us, representing the Philippines and representing Canada,” Torres told InterAksyon.com in an exclusive interview. Apart from playing for Gilas Pilipinas, Wright, a rookie, and Torres, a second-year player, are looking forward to learning a lot of new things from their more experienced teammates. “Being around with these PBA stars is definitely a learning experience. I see them at practice and try to get a couple of pointers from their game and add it to mine,” Wright said. “It’s a good competition for me on the prospects of seeing June Mar (Fajardo) every practice when he’s healthy. To learn from the veterans like Japeth (Aguilar) and Jayson Castro just to see them where they are right now,” Torres said. With the SEABA Championship to be played in Manila this May, Wright hopes that they can showcase their skills and make Filipinos proud. “It puts more pressure on us. But when we’re playing and we hear the crowd together with the national anthem in your own building, the pressure is being thrown out of the window. You’ll do anything to try to win for the fans,” Wright said. http://j.mp/2nG8GQ0
