Among the best in the world

I always tell people if Olympic basketball was played on a 15-foot tall rim, and all the players had to wear flip-flops, the Philippines would win the gold medal every time.

Across the country I would regularly see extraordinary performances by little barefoot kids on concrete courts who would run circles around my plodding efforts to keep hold of the basketball.

As a side note, the Philippines did win the bronze medal for basketball at the 1954 world championships. I can't confirm footwear.