BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - The Philippines have had a revolving door of stars for the past decade, but one man who has been a constant is Gabe Norwood.

Norwood first played for the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 in Tokushima, Japan, establishing himself as an athletic wingman who could finish strong around the basket and play leech-like defense. He was never an explosive scorer, but what he may have lacked in scoring punch, Gabe more than made up for in his hustle, effort and commitment to the national team.

The 1.98m North Carolina-born small forward would be a fixture on the Philippine national team roster from then on, playing in every FIBA Asia Cup with the exception of the 2011 edition in Wuhan. His tour of duty in Beirut this year was his fifth - the most by any Philippine player in the modern era of Asian basketball.

Not surprisingly, Gabe made his presence felt the most on the defensive end for Gilas. Proofs of this can be found in the numbers. Norwood put up a modest 5.0 points per game, but he also averaged 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per contest. He led Gilas Pilipinas in steals and had the most blocks of anybody who was not a center or power forward in the tournament.

In addition, Gabe was also always tasked to defend the opposing team's best wing scorer - a testament to how highly touted he is as one of the Philippine team's cornerstones.

At 32 years of age, however, Gabe is entering the homestretch of his playing career. He will be 36 by the time the next FIBA Asia Cup swings around, and it may be reasonable to assume we have seen the last of Gabe playing for Gilas in this quadrennial event.

If, indeed, this was the final FIBA Asia Cup campaign for the bemedaled and highly regarded Filipino-American, then we tip our hats off to his commitment to the team and his trademark defensive tenacity.

FIBA