PHI - Douthit leading the Philippines Olympic challenge

WUHAN (FIBA Asia Championship) - Marcus Douthit has been a tower of strength for the Philippines so far in the FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan, China, averaging 16 points and 8 rebounds per game.

A naturalised American, Douthit plies his trade for Smart Gilas in the Philippines Basketball Association, and is relishing the challenge of debuting in international basketball at 31 years of age.

Douthit knows he has a big responsibility to the basketball-crazy Philippines public, who would love nothing more than to see their team at the London Olympics, and he spoke to fiba.com following his team's 113-71 win over Bahrain.

FIBA: That was a pretty comprehensive win and the players put on some real showtime for the fans, it looked like the team was having a lot of fun out there today.
Douthit: After the game last night (against China) it was certainly a good way to bounce back from a loss.

FIBA: What about for you, that must have been a tough challenge taking on Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi last night?
Douthit: It was tough because they have got two big guys and it was only me down there, so it was tough. But it feels great to play against one of the best talents to ever come out of China and it is a great opportunity to be here playing against the top talent from all of Asia.

FIBA: Did you have it in the back of your mind that you would play for the Philippines or has this been a nice surprise for you?
Douthit: Definitely (a surprise). I had no idea that I would play (international basketball), but it's a blessing that I am still playing in a nice country like the Philippines. I was naturalised about a year and a half ago, and it is definitely a blessing.

FIBA: How do you think the team is progressing?
Douthit: The guys are young, so I definitely think we will be a better team in the future. I am glad to be a part of the whole program from start to finish.

FIBA: There's still a lot of work to be done yet, but what would it mean to the Philippines if their basketball team made it to the Olympics?
Douthit: That's the dream of the whole country, and that is the goal we have for the program. Anything is possible, miracles happen all the time. If that situation does come up I would be very grateful for the blessing that God gave me.

FIBA: Finally, you've played in a lot of different countries, tell us just how basketball-mad the Philippines are?
Douthit: That's the only sport they have - they would die for it. I have never seen basketball played the way it is there, the fans they love it. It's year round basketball, the longest break is maybe a week or two, but besides that it's all basketball. It's the only place I have seen in the world that loves basketball so much.

FIBA