The next generation of Philippine basketball players will be showcased in the upcoming FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2022. New faces from Gilas Pilipinas Youth will be front and center as they compete against international competition.
After an extensive recruitment process, the final lineup was revealed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) earlier this week. The team is led by captains Jared Bahay and Lebron Nieto. Joining them are Caelum Harris, Jacob Bayla, Apl Gemao, Jayden Jones, Kristian Porter, Sebastian Reyes, Mikhail Romero, Alexander Konov, and Lorenzo Competente. The three reserves selected were Joseph Pangilinan, Elijah Yusi, and Francis Veejay Pre.
“When we started tryouts, me and my coaching staff, we really had a lookout for players who can defend, who have the athleticism and have the nose to play hard-quality defense,” head coach Josh Reyes said.
Reyes said that everyone on his team should be dependable and ready. The coach highlighted each of his players’ strengths that they can bring to the court.
Jared Bahay (5’9”, PG), Lebron Nieto (5’11”, PG)
The two Ateneo point guards are tasked to be the leaders of this young team.
“Sobrang proud ko talaga sa sarili ko. Di ko inaasahanan yung maabot ko, na makakasama ako sa lineup,” said Bahay who hails from Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu.
Ateneo High School product Nieto, meanwhile, is the younger brother of former Gilas standouts Mike and Matt.
“‘Yung advice nila sa akin is to always give my best sa lahat ng ginagawa ko,” the younger Nieto said about his brothers. “And to always enjoy the opportunity because this opportunity is once in a lifetime.”
For Reyes, he is proud of the leadership skills of his two guards.
“The two points guards have been really doing a great job in leading the squad not just on the basketball floor but also outside, just talking to everybody,” Reyes said. “When we have a bad practice, they always gather the squad to talk and remind them of the right things to do.”
Caelum Harris (6’5”, F)
Harris, who joined the Gilas program earlier this year, will make his highly anticipated national team debut. The 16-year-old from Nashville Tennesse will bring his athleticism and versatility to the young Gilas squad.
“I’m very excited. I know it’s a big opportunity to represent a country, especially a country that respects the game of basketball,” said Harris, whose family is based in Marigondon, Cebu. “I’m more than happy and glad to face great opponents.”
Jacob Bayla (6’4”, G/F)
Jacob Bayla is from Valley Christian High School. Though he lives in California, his parents are both Filipino, and he was able to obtain his Philippine passport before turning 16.
“It’s definitely an honor and blessing from God because you never know what opportunity will come to your table,” Bayla said. “So you just gotta take advantage of it and just play your heart out.”
“He’s quite skilled and very high character guy,” Reys said about his swingman. “He, together with Jayden Jones (6’2”, F), will provide a lot of length at the wing positions.
Zain Mahmood (6’6”, F/C), Kristian Michael Porter (6’5”, F/C)
Zain Mahmood and Kristian Porter will provide presence in the paint. Mahmood is a Filipino-Canadian big man from Athlete Institute Red in Ontario, Canada.
“Luckily, Zain Mahmood was able to secure his passport, so we’ll have some sort of presence inside. He’s still not a big guy like AJ Edu, Kai Sotto or Geo Chiu but at least we’ll have a little bit of girth and size inside,” said Reyes.
Porter, meanwhile, is the younger brother of Phoenix forward Kris.
“We will still be one of the shorter teams when we go there. If you just look at it on paper. We don’t have the imposing 6-8, 6-9, 7-foot guys the other teams have,” Reyes said.
“But I believe with how we play defensively as a team we’ve been able to mitigate those disadvantages,” he went on. “Down the middle, we have Zain Mahmood and Kristian Porter. He’s a big body, very smart, very skilled, comparable to Beau Belga actually.”
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Reyes also shared his insights on the rest of the roster:
“Alex Konov (6’7”, F/C) and Basti Reyes (6’5”, F) will provide some athleticism at the four spot. With our guards and shooters, we’ve got the viral sensation Andy Gemao (6’0”, G) who has made a good account of himself,” Reyes said. “Coming in, I thought he was just a viral dunker athlete on Youtube. But he came in, he can really ball and help us out.”
Other guards include Lorenzo Competente (6’2, G) and Santi Romero (6’1”, G).
“Hopefully he can provide a little bit of shooting from the outside being a long shooter,” Reyes said about Competente. “He’s very smart and can provide a lot of stability for us at that spot.
“Then rounding out our squad is Santi Romero. He’s another long and athletic wingman and he’ll have a very specific role in terms of being our defensive stopper coming off the bench. He’ll provide a lot of energy, a lot of defense off the bench. And he’s been great around our guys.”
The 12-man team, together with the three reserves, are already in Doha gearing up for the competition from June 12 to 19.
“Elijah Yusi (6’0”, G/F) and Joseph Pangilinan (6’1” G), these wing men from Pampanga, are really talented,” Reyes said.”Really great athletes who, at any given moment, can step in and compete at the same level as some of the guys in the lineup.
“Another discovery as well was Francis Veejay Pre (6’4”, F) … he plays like Mac Belo – can really shoot, really skilled, and I believe come the UAAP, when the UAAP Juniors starts, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
The Philippines belongs in Group C and will take on Kuwait on Tuesday at 1:15 AM and Japan on Tuesday at 8:45 PM (both Philippine time). The top teams in all four pools will head directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-ranked teams will figure in a crossover knockout match to complete the top eight.
“This team will really have that bite on defense,” Reyes said. “We got dogs who can bring a lot of toughness defensively, a lot of length, a lot of athleticism.”