YOUNG GILAS STOCK, FIL AM STARS SEEN TO BOOST
COUNTRY’S BASKETBALL TO WORLD STAGE
Gilas is counting on national team standouts Thirdy Ravena, Jack Animam, Kai Sotto and some Fil Am scouted players in flying the flag higher on top of their expected individual growth as imports overseas and boost the country’s chances to the world stage.
The local basketball governing body believes that these Nationals representing the country abroad would not only benefit their personal dreams and careers but also the Philippine basketball as a whole
Amid the pandemic and the indefinite hiatus of the sports industry, Filipino talents from across all levels were not stopped from carving their marks led by 18-year-old Sotto, who became the first-ever international signee of the prestigious NBA G League this summer.
Collegiate stars Ravena (San-En Neo Phoenix) and Animam (Shih Hsin University) then followed suit, committing to play as imports in Japanese B. League and Taiwan’s University Basketball Association, respectively.
FEU’s Ken Tuffin has also been representing the country as part of the Taranaki Mountainairs in the New Zealand
These overseas acts, according to SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, is a great opportunity the players could utilize in growing their skills by leaps and bounds.
Aside from them, players with Filipino blood in and out of the country have been assembled for the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the 2023 World Cup, but some you may not have heard of.
Unlike other Gilas pool members, most have flown under the radar, allow us to introduce to you overseas-based Fil-foreigners in Remy Martin, Troy Rike and Dwight Ramos
From the looks of it, there are more reasons to be excited once this trio join the Gilas pool.
While 6-1 guard, Remy Martin has already made a buzz among diehard Filipino basketball fans, there’s still a shroud of mystery surrounding this Fil-American point guard. If all falls into place for Gilas Pilipinas, the country’s point guard of the future might be already secured.
Martin is already strutting his wares for Arizona State University in the PAC 12 conference, the conference which has produced the most number of champion schools in the US NCAA.
The heady 19-year-old guard is already learning the ropes at the point guard position from legendary Duke point guard, Bobby Hurley. As a freshman, Martin is playing solid minutes off the bench for the Sun Devils, averaging 10.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 25 minutes.
As per representing the country? The young guard out of Chatsworth, California is definitely proud of his Filipino heritage – wearing a wrist band with the Philippine flag during their games.
Unlike Martin,6-5 guard Dwight Ramos has been on the radar of Filipino hoops fans for a long time – and you need not look far to see his highlights. Just typing “Dwight Ramos Gilas Prospect” on YouTube will do the trick.
He was even expected to play for Batang Gilas in the 2016 FIBA Asia U-18 after he got strong recommendations from former national team coach Tab Baldwin himself. Unfortunately, that didn’t materialize as he failed to get clearance from his school.
With Martin and Ramos expected to add firepower from the perimeter. 6-8 forward, Troy Rike could be exactly the guy Gilas needs to beef up its frontline in the future.
Rike came in as a walk-in for Danny Manning’s tryouts at Wake Forest in the powerhouse Atlantic Coast Conference, the team which has produced the likes of Tim Duncan, Chris Paul, Muggsy Bouges Jeff Teague and James Johnson, to name a few.
With this young crop of basketball stars honing their skills abroad together with the Fil American players who might willingly play for the Philippine flag, surely will boost the Philippine national team program especially with their commitments with Gilas in many international tournaments to come.#