My father would be proud – PSC chair Bachmann on Gilas' win
At A Glance
- His father, Kurt, was part of the PH team that last won the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Nothing could be sweeter for Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann than witnessing Gilas Pilipinas’ ascend to the Asian Games throne in men’s basketball Friday night, Oct. 6, in Hangzhou, China.

Bachmann said the Filipino dribblers’ 70-60 victory over Jordan before a sizable crowd at the Hangzhou Olympic Gymnasium “was one of the monumental victories for Team Philippines.”
Not only it gave the country its fourth gold medal as of date to match Team PH’s gold-medal haul at the 2018 edition in Indonesia, but it also ended the country’s decades-old gold-medal drought in the sport.
It also holds a special meaning for Bachmann. His father, Kurt, was part of the PH team that last won the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“My father would be very proud of this Gilas squad, who showed resilience and team spirit,” Bachmann said in a statement.
Playing with a never-say-die attitude, heroes came in sizes as Gilas Pilipinas finally returned to the podium since the country won bronze in the 1998 Bangkok edition which coincidentally coached by the same tactician that steered them on top this time – Tim Cone.
There was naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who paced the crew throughout with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, as well as Ange Kouame and Chris Newsome, who chipped in 14 and 13 points.
Other members of the crew are June Mar Fajardo, Kevin Alas, Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez, Calvin Oftana, Japeth Aguilar, Arvin Tolentino, Chris Ross and Marcio Lassiter.