Underwhelming would be a rather apt description of Japeth Aguilar’s national team career. Some might use the word “mediocre” because, well, he wasn’t particularly good at international competition—specifically at the FIBA level. Aguilar sure had his moments—a soaring slam here, an emphatic block there, a sweet corner jumper from time to time—but he hardly moved the needle even if he had the physical tools to do so.
The numbers don’t lie. Aguilar, in multiple FIBA tournaments, put up per game averages of 4.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assist and never averaged in double-digits either in points or in rebounds. Neither did he rise to the occasion in three World Cups, chipping in just 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14 games total.
So, yes, underwhelming is the word—mediocre, even. But neither the eye test nor the numbers could ever measure the commitment Japeth Aguilar has shown to the Philippines when it comes to representing the Three Stars and a Sun in the world stage. In as far as playing for the flag is concerned, Aguilar’s willingness to do so is truly overwhelming—like that of a soldier answering the call of duty over… and over… and over.
Japeth Aguilar: A Gilas Mainstay Since the Beginning
Sixteen years.
That’s how long ago Japeth Aguilar first suited up for the national team. That maiden stint for the Philippines was so long ago that it actually coincided with the official launch of Smart Gilas Pilipinas, the team that ushered in the Gilas era in 2009. Aguilar was among several collegiate standouts recruited for the all-amateur squad helmed by Rajko Toroman, who previously made his name for turning Iran into an Asian powerhouse. Aguilar, then just 22, also made the final roster that included Chris Tiu, JVee Casio, Mark Barroca, Marcio Lassiter, and Chris Lutz, among others.
This group, with Marcus Douthit as its naturalized reinforcement, showed immense potential even with its relative youth. The team even placed fourth in the 22nd FIBA Asia Champions Cup, a tournament featuring the best basketball clubs in the continent. Months later, at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, Aguilar was one of eight original Smart Gilas players—along with Barroca, Tiu, Casio, Douthit, Lassiter, Lutz, and Mac Baracael—tapped to represent the Philippines in a tournament where the winner gets a slot in the 2012 London Olympic Games and the second and third placers earn an invite to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).
This mix of Gilas youngsters and PBA stars—Asi Taulava, Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, and Ranidel de Ocampo were brought in as reinforcements—more than held their own in the continental joust, making it all the way to the semis only to lose to Jordan and then just missing out on an OQT invite after falling to South Korea, 70-68, in the bronze-medal game.
Answering the Call to Play
That FIBA Asia Championship in 2011 was Aguilar’s third time playing for the national team in FIBA competition—and he was still just 24 years young. It was a three-year stretch of service for flag and country, and it started a trend that would go on up until this year’s FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah: Japeth Aguilar getting a Gilas call-up, and then Japeth Aguilar answering the call—year after year after year.
The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Manila? Aguilar was there to help break the Course of Korea.
The 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain? Aguilar played all five games, including that breakthrough win versus Senegal.
The 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China? Aguilar was all suited up just the same.
The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship? Aguilar was there, too, and got another silver medal.
Seeing a pattern here? That’s Japeth Aguilar answering every call of duty like clockwork. That’s Japeth Aguilar taking time out to play for the Philippines one tournament after the other. That’s Japeth Aguilar sacrificing his time, his personal life, his rest and recovery to put Gilas across his chest every time he got a call.
It didn’t end there. The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel cornerstone kept playing for the flag well into the 2020s. He played against France and New Zealand in the 2016 FIBA OQT here in Manila. He suited up in the different windows of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers from 2017 to 2019. He donned that Gilas across his chest in the 2019 FIBA World Cup as well as in the 2023 FIBA World Cup here at home. In between, he played in the Qualifiers, too, and even in the SEABA Championships in 2017, the Southeast Asian Games in 2019, and the Asian Games in 2023.
In all, the 6-foot-9 beanpole from Pampanga played in over 10 tournaments for Gilas Pilipinas in three(!) decades—the 2000s, the 2010s, and the 2020s. And through all those years of service to Philippine hoops, Aguilar begged off from national team duties just once—in early 2020 when he asked to be excused from Gilas’ February window against Thailand and Indonesia to go on a delayed honeymoon with his wife, whom he married in October the previous year. Then, in 2023, Aguilar missed the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia and Gilas’ final window due to an MCL sprain.
In other words, it took injuries and a very personal reason to keep Aguilar from suiting up for flag and country. Through everything else, the Pampanga native suited up and did what he could for Team Pilipinas—a soaring slam here, an emphatic block there, a sweet corner jumper from time to time.
An Unquestioned Commitment That Deserves Respect
So, yes, you can say Japeth Aguilar’s national team career has been underwhelming—mediocre, even. You can call him soft. You can call him a disappointment. You can even call him a bust in international play. But one thing fans and pundits alike can’t ever do is question the man’s commitment to the national team, to the Philippines, to the Filipinos who love hoops like family.
“Let me say something about Japeth—what a warrior. He didn’t want to come into this tournament, and I begged and begged him to join [the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup lineup]. I felt we didn’t have enough size to compete without Kai, so I begged him to come, and once again, he stepped up,” Gilas coach Tim Cone said about the 38-year-old big man in Power & Play. “His wife didn’t want him to come. There were all kinds of issues, yet he still stepped up and played. My hats off to Japeth. He answers the country’s call time and time again. I believe he’s already retired three times.”
Indeed, Aguilar had already earned the right to say no to any and all Gilas call-ups this decade after wearing the tri-colors from 2009 to 2019. But he continued to heed that call—the jeers be damned and seemingly without care for the physical, mental, and emotional toll that comes with the scrutiny of playing for flag and country. And he has been scrutinized and mocked and jeered way too many times even for choosing to represent the Philippines every time he got the chance.
Yes, for all that loyalty, Aguilar has gotten mostly jeers and derision, especially late in his national team career. One thing he hasn’t gotten enough of is the nation’s gratitude for his unyielding service, for his continued willingness to represent the Philippines as best he can. No, he didn’t move the needle, but he was almost always there—playing, competing, fighting. Now, Japeth Aguilar can finally say no to Gilas, mostly because the team’s frontline of the future—Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, and potentially Quentin Millora-Brown—has finally arrived.
In the interim, Aguilar played his part in holding down the fort—over and over and over again. He made himself always available, and that matters, too. That unchanging “I’ll play mindset” over three decades is unique in an era where so many players would rather make excuses than don the tri-colors of the Philippines. While others concocted one excuse after another, Japeth Aguilar just played… and played… and played. That alone is remarkable. That alone deserves a big thank you.
So, yes. Maraming salamat, Japs!
