The future of Philippine basketball is looking bright.
The 18-man pool of the Gilas Pilipinas Boys' U-16 roster for the 2023 SEABA U-16 Championship has been released.
The national team consists of a mix of familiar names and new talents.
These include already-established young prospects in Kieffer Alas, CJ Amos, Ziv Espinas, and Jaime Gomez de Liaño.
Several Fil-Am talents were also included in the squad such as Paul Diao, Edwyn Morales, and Elijah Williams.
Also part of the 18-man pool are Jheremy Godoy, Champ Arejola, Kurt Velasquez, Bon Daja, Gian Gomez, Brian Hacuela, Ben Jimenez, Joaquin Ludovice, and Ethan Kaw.
Additionally, the team includes teen prodigy Irus Chua, who once scored an impressive 121 points in a local league in the country.
For Chua, the Gilas call-up is a “lifetime opportunity.”
“It's an experience that everyone wants to have but then not everyone can get it, so it's a lifetime opportunity,” Chua told reporters via Smart Sports. “It's always been my dream to be part of this team and to get the call-up, I was really excited, and it was just fun.”
The talented 16-year-old from Brent International School has been generating considerable excitement with his exceptional ability to shoot from long range, attracting attention both domestically and internationally.
His remarkable skills were particularly evident at the NBA Academy Asia Development Camp, which took place in Singapore.
But now that he’s part of the national team, Chua hopes he can display his skills on the big stage.
“I always just continue to work hard and when I got the call-up, I just showed my talents and if I ever make the team, I hope I could produce a lot and give all that I can,” said Chua.
Despite having less than a month of training and preparation, Chua and the newly-formed Gilas squad, led by coach Josh Reyes, will do battle at the 2023 SEABA Under-16 Championship in Jakarta.
The national team will face off against Malaysia on July 17, Thailand on July 18, and host nation Indonesia on July 19.