With the difficult past behind him, AJ looks forward to the future.
AJ Edu has a unique opportunity in front of him as his first FIBA game as a member of Gilas Pilipinas Men might be during the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Currently, the 23-year-old is one of the 12 players in the European training camp of the squad and he’s doing his best to soak up as much as he can from his veteran teammates and coaches.
As of the moment, Edu is still recovering from a sprained ankle. He’s joining all the parts of the team’s practice except their five-on-five drills but he will be allowed to do so soon enough.
Right now, all he needs is to stay patient as his time will come. Patience is something that Edu has a lot of. When you’re an athlete who has been sidelined for prolonged periods of time, patience is an important virtue to have.
It was in the 2019 U19 FIBA Basketball World Cup when Edu first faced huge adversity.
They had a solid team with the likes of Dave Ildefonso, Carl Tamayo, and Kai Sotto but unfortunately lost Edu to a knee injury in the first two minutes of their very first game.
Edu heard a pop so he knew immediately it was an ACL injury. The young big went through the process of healing and recovery but he will be tested again as he suffered a different injury on the same knee. After that, bad luck will strike again as he tore his ACL on his other knee.
“It was pretty tough but I’ve been blessed to be around good teammates and good coaches. My faith also pushed me through that time,” Edu shared.
Now with the difficult past behind him, he looks forward to the future.
A possible Gilas stint and a signed contract with the Japanese B.League’s Toyama Grouses have made everything he went through worth it.
“There’s that thing in me that wants to be out there in scrimmage but there’s still a lot of time so I just need to be patient,” he said. “And I’m not just sitting on the sidelines either. I’m trying to get as much information as I can. I’m confident that when I get back, I’ll be able to showcase what I can do.”
While he has played for Gilas 3x3 and Youth before, he’s never had the opportunity to hear the cheers of Filipino fans at home. Now, he may just be two months away from getting that experience.
“I’m super excited for the opportunity. I’ve never played for Gilas in the Philippines so I’m blessed to be in a position to play at home,” he said. “I’ve been given this opportunity and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
The road has not been easy for Edu as he has battled through a lot of adversity in his very young basketball career.
Still, his belief in himself never wavered. It also did not hurt that a lot of Filipino fans never left his side.
“Filipino fans have been with me all the way through,” Edu closed. “After all my injuries, they could have easily given up on me and said that ‘This guy is done, he’s never going to come back, never going to fulfill the potential that he had’ but they’re still there behind me and now I have an opportunity to represent them on the court so I’m going to do my best for them.”