Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Norman Black

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

BANGKOK – Norman Black has won multiple championships from the UAAP to the PBA, and he has had success at the international level as well.But for the veteran coach, leading Gilas Pilipinas to the gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand ranks at the top of his list of achievements.In the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta, Black led a group of collegiate stars to gold. Their journey in Bangkok, 14 years later, is very different for the champion coach.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/12/19/gilas-men-rule-sea-games-hoops-with-comeback-win-vs-thailand-2212">READ: Gilas Men rule SEA Games hoops with comeback win vs. Thailand</a></div>&quot;Right now it ranks number one because it&#x27;s the most recent one. And this has been a really difficult journey. You guys don&#x27;t really realize. I rank it number one, no question,&quot; he told POC Media after the hard-fought 70-64 win over Thailand on Saturday. &quot;That was in 2011, 14 years ago, that was also a memorable championship. This one was a little bit better because we had to go through so much adversity to get to this point,&quot; Black said. The road to the gold was definitely not a walk in the park, especially for Black who started to hit the ground running for the team in September. But the Gilas roster changed multiple times due to restrictions set by host Thailand, with the final roster being finalized days before the regional showcase. The team also barely had time to practice altogether, banking on talent and a semblance of familiarity with each other&#x27;s game. &quot;I know I shut down the media a little bit, and I didn&#x27;t talk because every time I would say something, it seemed like the organizing committee would change the rules. So I decided I wasn&#x27;t going to mention anything publicly anymore because they&#x27;re using our information against us,&quot; Black explained. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/12/20/seag-bolick-proud-of-gilas-for-rising-above-circumstances-en-route-to-gold-1241">READ: Bolick proud of Gilas for rising above &#x27;circumstances&#x27; en route to gold</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/12/20/jamie-malonzo-relishes-very-special-sea-games-gold-with-gilas-1700">READ: Jamie Malonzo relishes &#x27;very special&#x27; SEA Games gold with Gilas</a></div>Initially, players like Remy Martin, Justin Brownlee, and Michael Phillips were among those set to play for the Philippines in the SEA Games. But Thailand set new eligibility rules, banning naturalized players as well as those who get their passports after the age of 16.Black wound up going to battle with a Gilas team composed of Jamie Malonzo, Thirdy Ravena, Dalph Panopio, Matthew Wright, Ray Parks Jr., Cedric Manzano, Justin Chua, Robert Bolick, Von Pessumal, Poy Erram, Abu Tratter and Veejay Pre. But despite all the odds being against and the noise, Gilas silenced all the critics and the energetic Thai crowd present at the Nimibutr Stadium in the final. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1766237034236WhatsApp Image 2025-12-19 at 9.05.57 PM (1).jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Gilas Pilipinas coach Norman Black at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media" width="960"/>Gilas Pilipinas coach Norman Black at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media</div>&quot;It&#x27;s a really great feeling. I&#x27;m really proud of the team. The entire experience has been a challenge for me starting back in June and July when we tried to form the first Team. It ended up being a different team than we have now,&quot; Black said. &quot;I&#x27;m so happy with the guys for coming in and dedicating themselves for a short period of time to the goal at hand which is to win the gold medal,&quot; he added. Black and the whole Gilas team showed that nothing beats the &quot;puso and laban&quot; running through all the players from the Philippines. &quot;When you&#x27;ve gone through what we&#x27;ve gone through to get up to this point, adversity doesn&#x27;t seem that hard. We basically just go out and fight and pull together,&quot; Black said. &quot;I went four months not knowing what the rules were. Not knowing what the eligibility rules were. I formed a team, only to be told I couldn&#x27;t use that team. And then when I formed another team, I was told I couldn&#x27;t use certain players. So I couldn&#x27;t really understand the eligibility rules in the tournament. And, hey, I&#x27;m glad it turned out for the best,&quot; he explained. When all is said and done, Black and Gilas will look back on the gold and remember how they turned adversity into triumph.

#2025SEAGames || "This has been a really difficult journey. You guys don't really realize. I rank it number one, no question."

#2025SEAGames || "This has been a really difficult journey. You guys don't really realize. I rank it number one, no question."

Why 2025 SEA Games gold ranks No. 1 for Gilas coach Norman Black

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Why 2025 SEA Games gold ranks No. 1 for Gilas coach Norman Black

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 21, 2025 08:00 AM PHT

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Gilas Pilipinas

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