Philippines swingman Gabe Norwood throws down a dunk against Argentina at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. (Screenshot/YouTube)
The Philippines fell to Argentina, 85-81, in a hard-fought FIBA World Cup game in Sevilla, Spain, but Gilas Pilipinas swingman Gabe Norwood provided one of the game’s highlights.
With a little over three minutes left in the first quarter, Gilas point guard Jayson William picked up a loose ball and fed a streaking Norwood on the left wing for a monster slam over Argentina forward Luis Scola. It wasn’t a clean “poster dunk” since Scola appears to be moving out of the way instead of challenging the shot. It was still an electrifying slam: Watch the play:
Norwood’s dunk was part of a big early run by the Filipinos in the opening quarter, as they took a 25-22 lead in an emotionally packed first quarter. Norwood, who is mostly known for his defense, has been one of the stalwarts for a Philippines squad that could easily be 2-1 instead of 0-3. It lost in overtime to Croatia, 81-78, in the opener and fell to Greece, 82-70, on Day 2.
Norwood, 29, played college ball at George Mason from 2003-07 before getting drafted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in 2008 by Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Norwood was the PBA slam dunk champion in 2009, and PBA defensive player of the year in 2010. He is the brother of Denver Broncos wide receiver Jordan Norwood.
The Philippines gave the favored Argentines all it could handle in Day 3 of Group B pool play that went down to the wire, thanks to the 3-point shooting of Gilas guard Jimmy Alapag. In the end, Scola and Argentina made enough big plays down the stretch to escape with a four-point win.