Geo Chiu has come a long way in his basketball career. Back in 2016, he was just a fan, watching Gilas Pilipinas play against France in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Manila. Now he’s the starting center for the team in the FIBA Asia Cup 2022.

“That time I was thinking, ‘Uy, I’m just watching the game.’ And then now I got this opportunity to represent the country at this high level,” he said. “Yun naman talaga yung dream mo, to represent your country at a high level.”

Geo was first brought into the Gilas Men’s program back in 2021 for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, where he was a third-string center to Ange Kouame and Kai Sotto.

“Yung time na yun, we had Ange, we had Kai. The five spot was complete pa,” he said. “They’re really what you’d want from a five guy.”

Even if he played sparingly, Geo used his time with the team to learn from the two more experienced big men to improve his game.

“Having them, malaking tulong kasi they really helped me. They’d tell me what I should work on, what I should continue to develop.”

It’s a good thing that Geo took that opportunity to grow his game last year because the young big man had to grow up fast this year.

With Ange suffering an ACL injury and Kai unavailable, Geo was thrust into the starting center spot for this tournament.

In two games so far, Geo is averaging a shade under 17 minutes a game. He’s helped the team hold down the paint, averaging 4.5 rebounds and a block per game.

Not many 21-year-olds would be able to handle the huge responsibility of being the starting center of their national team, but Geo is taking everything in stride.

“The pressure, it’s always there. You’re competing for your country, so the pressure will always be there, but you just have to enjoy,” he shared.

Even though he’s playing a bigger role this year compared to last year, Geo is still taking this opportunity to further improve his game.

“Competing against the top players in our region, of course it’s going to be a great experience for me. It will really help me evaluate and assess myself, and all the things I really have to work on,” he said.

Geo started out in the stands, moved to the bench, and now, he’s taking the opening tip in Gilas games. That’s an amazing progression, something that isn’t lost on him.

“Yung mga dating pinapanood ko lang, and now I get to play against them. I’m just really lucky to be here.”