Manila, Philippines – As most people do their traditional church visits, basketball players are bound to be savoring the break to rest, recuperate or spend more time with their family.

As most people, I decided to cap off my Maundy Thursday routine by going to the Fort where are lot of people were on there as well, unwinding and looking for change in atmosphere.

And as luck would have it, there are quite a few foreigners here in Manila that stand 6-foot-11. As per my hunch, it was whom I thought it would be, Marcus Douthit.

Taking time out and cooling his heels after a hard-earned win against the Barangay Ginebra Kings, Douthit was simply trying to enjoy a relaxing Thursday afternoon in the Global City. I approached the naturalized behemoth and introduced myself.

To start the conversation I told him: “Hey Marcus! I wrote an article about you for the Manila Bulletin some weeks ago.”

“Really? Was it good?” Marcus replied. “Of Course!” I said.

Then from there, we discussed about basketball stuff like how Smart Gilas was doing and how he was. On the rough plays he has been receiving, he just shrugged and laughed it off, knowing that everything comes with the job.

Douthit was savoring the break, admitting that it does help in allowing his hand to recuperate. For those who are unaware, Marcus Douthit fractured his hand during their game against the Meralco Bolts way back in the elimination stages.

And while many were questioning his hand injury, I could bat for myself after Marcus showed me his hand, it is really swollen and he is not playing 100%.

Regardless, it seems that Marcus Douthit could care less. We can see his output ever since the semi-finals started and he has been delivering as one would expect. In fact, his steady contributions were the reasons why critics and fans doubted on whether his injury was for real or just a fluke.

Asking him straight up on Smart Gilas’ chances against Ginebra, he just smiled back and gave a confident reply - “We want to Win!”

Indeed, you have to love the attitude of Marcus Douthit. His eyes and attitude on every game they play says it all. And for that, there is no question that any Filipino will love the attitude of this naturalized Filipino player holding fort for the Smart Gilas PH national team.

Going back to the PBA semi-finals, Ginebra is up 2-1 in the series with the next game scheduled on Easter Sunday. A win by Ginebra will automatically send them to the semi-finals against the Talk ‘n Text Tropang Texters in a best-of-seven duel to determine the PBA Commissioner’s Cup champion.

On the other hand, a win by Smart Gilas will set up a winner-take-all match for the two teams, something that is not too farfetched. The PBA may not be the priority of Smart Gilas but you can be assured, winning is all that matters for the team.

This holds true for the PBA or any other competition they may be participating in, an attitude and dedication that the Filipino people are going applaud.

Brian Yalung, Manila Bulletin