Marcus Douthit ‘thankful’ for time with national team

MANILA, Philippines – A day after it was announced that his contract with the Philippine national basketball team won’t be renewed, naturalized Filipino Marcus Douthit expressed how “thankful” he is for the time he spent with Gilas through his Twitter account on Friday, August 14.

“I just want to thank everyone for accepting me to represent such a great country and i will always be thankful !!! PUSO,” Douthit tweeted.

I just want to thank everyone for accepting me to represent such a great country i will always be thankful !!! PUSO

— marcus douthit (@DouthitMarcus) August 13, 2015

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has decided not to renew the contract of the 6-foot-10 Douthit, 35, which expires in September. The former second-round NBA draft pick is currently in the United States.

Douthit has been significant to the rise of the Gilas program over the past few years. He first joined the national team during the 2010 MVP Invitational Champions’ Cup and then, a year later, suited up for the squad during the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship where he averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds a game as the Philippines placed fourth.

Douthit saw action for the national team as well in the 2012 Jones Cup and 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, where the Philippines finished in second place and earned a spot in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

The Syracuse, New York native didn’t play for the national team in the World Cup – Andray Blatche served as Gilas’ naturalized player – but wore the colors of the country in the 2014 Asian Games.

In 2015, Douthit played his last tourney with the national team in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore, where the Philippines won gold.

The 11-year veteran also served stints as an import in the PBA, playing for the Air21 Express in 2012 and Blackwater Elite in 2015.

“I’ll never have Filipino blood, but as far as becoming a Filipino, I’ll always have it in my heart,” Douthti once said.

Blatche, a former NBA player, is now expected to be the lone naturalized player for the Philippine team, which is currently practicing in preparation for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China, in September. – Rappler.com