MANILA, Philippines -- For Meralco guard Chris Newsome, his home debut for Gilas Pilipinas at the Mall of Asia Arena last Monday evoked some great memories of his collegiate days.

A capacity crowd of over 19,000 fans watched their game against Saudi Arabia, an 84-46 win for the Philippines that saw Newsome play just under 13 minutes. The fans were in full support of the national team, coming alive in the second half when they pulled away from Saudi Arabia.

"It gives me Ateneo feels," said Newsome, who played for two seasons with Ateneo de Manila University before becoming the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft. "It's a nice little flashback."

• READ: Clarkson-powered Gilas bucks slow start in rout of Saudi Arabia

Newsome still has fond memories of playing in front of the blue-and-white gallery. Nowadays, when he plays in front of a big crowd, it's during their games against Barangay Ginebra where they cheer for the perennial favorites.

"In the PBA, there's no such thing as home and away, so Ginebra would be the closest thing to it," he noted.

So to be cheered on by a huge crowd made the Gilas experience even more special for Newsome. He had previously represented the Philippines in the 3x3 competition of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, but this marked his debut for the Gilas Pilipinas senior team.

"It's nice to have everybody there, cheering for us and supporting us, especially 'cause we're one team," said Newsome.

His Gilas call-up also gave Newsome the opportunity to reunite with some of his collegiate teammates -- Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena. He also finally got to play with Ginebra's Scottie Thompson again, having previously played together with the Hapee Fresh Fighters in the PBA D-League.

It's an experience that Newsome clearly treasured and made him all the more determined to earn further call-ups to the national team. Gilas went 1-1 in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers, losing to Lebanon before bouncing back against Saudi Arabia. Despite the mixed result, Newsome shares the enthusiasm and optimism of his teammates regarding the squad's future.

"This team has a lot of chemistry, and like I said, as long as everyone stays healthy, and we can keep this core together, I think we're capable of doing big things," said Newsome. "The chemistry is definitely there, I think the athleticism is there."

"Hopefully, everybody stays healthy and I'm wishing the best for everybody, regardless of where they are in the world," he added.

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