Throughout the 2010s, the best local bigs 6-foot-9 and up of Gilas Pilipinas have been exclusively June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar. That’s why the SBP kept bringing in big men as naturalized players. Now, the national team has several guys who fit the bill, like the 6-foot-10 AJ Edu.
Edu Won’t Be Alone in the Frontcourt
For the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, in fact, Gilas will be without two of its young bigs in Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown. But Edu will still have some sizable frontcourt help nonetheless in new call-ups Mike Phillips and Justine Baltazar, and old reliable JMF.
“Obviously I’m looking forward to Kai [Sotto] coming back, but there’s now plenty of talent to help out, which is great,” Edu told Rebanse after Gilas Pilipinas’ open practice on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. “I mean, the more, the merrier… I aim to be starting, but whatever is best for the country, whatever is best for the team, I know what I can contribute to the team… I know the value that I bring, so regardless if that’s starting or off the bench, I’m going to give my all for the team.”
As one of the longer-tenured players of the national team, Edu has a solid case to be a starter. In 16 games so far for Gilas, the 26-year-old center has put up 7.7 points and 8.8 rebounds while showing he can anchor a defense as a rim protector.
Mike Phillips Makes a Believer Out of Edu
Starter or not, one thing that’s likely to happen is Edu playing alongside Mike Phillips, one of the new bigs the national team can tap anytime after he secured his eligibility as a local just this year.
So far, the man they call Motor Mike seems to have made a believer out of the Cypriot-born Japan B.League veteran.
“Mike brings so much energy—I mean, the nickname ‘Motor Mike,’ he has it for a reason. I’m seeing it firsthand now,” he said of Phillips. “And he’s going to be a big help for the team in this window and the future.”
Actually, Phillips already showed what he can do for the national team in 2023, when he anchored the Gilas squad that won gold in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. Now, he gets to showcase his talents on a grander stage.
He won’t be alone either.
