He did something his father could not.
As great as he was as a player, former PBA standout Gabby Espinas never made it to the national team.
That means his son, Ziv, has one-upped him in that regard after getting a call-up to play for the Gilas Pilipinas Boys’ team gearing up for the 2023 SEABA U16 championship this month.
The 14-year-old cager will join the likes of Kieffer Alas, CJ Amos, Irus Chua, and Jaime Gomez de Liano in the 18-man lineup training for the tournament to be held on held on July 17–19 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The younger Espinas, who plays for Lyceum of the Philippines University–Cavite, said his family is what drives him to become a better player.
“Ginagawa ko po ‘to for me at my family. Gusto ko maging good example sa mga kapatid ko, para makita nila paano mag-work hard,” he told reporters via Smart Sports.
Did the 6-foot-2 talent get any advice from his father?
“Sabi lang niya mag-focus lang at matulog ng maaga dahil twice a day [ang] practice. Pinakamahalaga daw [ang] rest. Hindi porket nag-e-exercise, kundisyon na. Andun pa rin dapat ‘yung rest,” he said.
Right now, the younger Espinas is just enjoying the opportunity to don the national team colors while hoping he would make the Espinas family proud.
“Sobrang happy kasi big opportunity ito. Born 08 ako,marming players na gusto makapunta dito at nabigyan ako ni Lord at coach Josh ng chance makasali dito,” he said.
Gilas will take on Malaysia on July 17 before duking it out with Thailand (18) and Indonesia (19). The top team will qualify for the FIBA U16 Asian Championship.
(MDB)