MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) – When push came to shove and their backs were against the wall, it was Andray Maurice Blatche who carried the Philippines on his broad shoulders and into the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

Seeing Blatche hit five three-pointers in the Philippines' World-Cup-berth-clinching win over Kazakhstan was truly scintillating but also quite harrowing. A good number of his shots - off-the-dribble pull-up threes and a couple in transition - are of the kind that would make most sensible coaches pull their hair out in frustration.

But that string of buckets in the first quarter of the Philippines' final Asian Qualifiers game, that feast-or-famine, go-big-or-go-home approach is the very essence of a player like Andray Blatche.

 
This is a guy who relishes being in big games and big moments. Many times, historically speaking, Blatche has fallen short, but not this time.

This time Blatche morphed from being just another big, burly, seemingly over-the-hump former NBA player into THE big difference for the Filipino national team.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone would propose building a bronze bust if Blatche's likeness outside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

For sure, without Blatche the Philippines would have fallen far behind Kazakhstan in that oh-so-critical encounter. Almost for sure, the Philippines would have had no answer for the Steppen Wolves' own naturalized player Anthony Clemmons. With very little doubt, Team Pilipinas would be pointing fingers and imploding right now had Blatche not swooped in during the final window to save not just the game but their World Cup chances.

What a turnaround, eh?

Recall that a few months ago Filipino fans weren't even really batting for Blatche to continue playing for the national team.

Head coach Yeng Guiao wasn't too keen on tapping the former Washington Wizard and Brooklyn Net as the team's naturalized player for the fifth window of the Asian Qualifiers.

 
Much of this erstwhile, shall we say, misplaced aversion towards the man many fondly call "Dray" is due to two things. First was his major involvement in the now infamous "basketbrawl" that happened at the Philippine Arena against Australia in the third window. Second was Blatche's penchant for being ball-dominant, which is the nouveau way of saying he was a bit of a ball-hog and that his effectiveness was neutered when he wasn't handling the rock.

Sure, when he was knocking down three after three in the final window, Filipinos cheered, but they weren't exactly screaming his name with adoration when he shot 3-of-11 from the field and scored a paltry 8 points against the Boomers in the second window. They weren't exactly cheering him on when he recorded 4 turnovers in 22 minutes also against the Green & Gold in the third window.

Blatche is the kind of player a basketball fan may describe as "love 'em or hate 'em." There is no in-between or gray areas with him. One either leaves him by the wayside due to all of his rough edges (which is kinda what happened in the fifth window when the Philippines left him out) or takes him in with open arms fully recognizant that those same rough edges may come back to break and bruise at some point in the future (hopefully later rather than sooner for the Filipino basketball fan's sake).

 
A lot of credit has to be given to coach Yeng, then, for swallowing his pride and finally rolling the dice on Blatche in the final window. He could have very easily stood pat and tapped Christian Standhardinger again, which, frankly speaking, would have been the most straightforward thing to do and perhaps would have also yielded the same results, but coach Yeng is nothing if not someone who sees the good even in the baddest of bad boys.

In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), after all, coach Yeng has a reputation for being a player's coach. Don't assume that he's the type to coddle overpaid superstars, though. Quite the contrary, actually. He prefers pushing players to the limit, knowing full well that they can deliver when given the right motivation and when faced with a pressing challenge. He has made a career of making the most with less talent than other teams, of juggling strong personalities on his squad and squeezing every ounce of potential in them akin to toothpaste tube bent out shape because everything inside has been pushed out and used up. In short, he makes the most of what he's given.

 
Coach Yeng was given Andray Blatche in the final window, and Dray was given a chance at redemption by a coach under whom he's never played.

The player's coach opened the door for the team's biggest star to make the biggest difference on Asia's biggest stage.

By the time the final whistle was blown, they put their perceived differences aside, got on the same page, and in the end, led the Philippines to their second World Cup appearance in a row.

 
Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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