SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – The younger brothers of a Gilas Pilipinas standout and a former Ateneo stalwart hope to showcase their own game in the UAAP.
Femi Edu, the 18-year-old sibling of rising national team star AJ Edu, and Kristian Porter, the brother of former Blue Eagle Kris Porter, committed to play for Ateneo starting Season 87 of the men’s basketball tournament late this year.
“I’ve heard many positive things about the school, both academically and otherwise. I simply want to be a part of that,” said Femi, a 6-foot-4 guard.
Femi, who plans to study Computer Science, said he appreciates Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin’s home visit last February.
“That was certainly significant because it helped foster a relationship with Tab. My family really appreciated it,” said Edu, who will arrive in the country late June after graduating from Copleston High School in Ipswich, England.
“It played a major role in my decision to choose Ateneo.”
Kristian, 6-foot-5 forward, decided to stay with the Ateneo program after graduating from high school. He also attended Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu before moving to Manila for senior high.
“Throughout my entire school life, I’ve been an Atenean,” said the 18-year-old Kristian. “From Ateneo de Cebu to Ateneo de Manila, so you could say I bleed blue. Continuing this tradition into my college years brings me immense joy.”
Kristian also looks forward to linking up anew with his Cebuano teammates Jared Bahay, Raffy Celis, and Michael Asoro, as well as Gilas Youth teammates Mason Amos, Kyle Gamber, Lebron Nieto, and Kobe Demisana.
Baldwin said he’s excited to have the young Edu and Porter on board as both add size to his roster following the departure of Kai Ballungay.
“He’s a good young player, an excellent athlete with good size,” Baldwin said of Femi. “The challenge he probably needs to overcome as quickly as possible is transitioning from the England-style of basketball to ours.”
“As everyone knows, England’s a soccer-dominated culture. There’s experience and competition he needs to adapt to,” he added.
Baldwin, meanwhile, thinks Kristian can provide instant impact for the Blue Eagles.
“He will be an impact player very quickly,” Baldwin said of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth player who saw action in the FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship in 2022.
“We need depth in our frontline, and he provides that. He is going to play significant minutes for us. I love his basketball IQ.”
A two-time UAAP high school Mythical Team member, Kristian averaged 18.08 points, 15.46 rebounds, and 2.23 steals a game in his senior year.
“Our goal with Kristian is to develop his physical attributes as well as his skills,” said Baldwin.
“As an undersized big man, we aim to expand his game and transition him towards the perimeter. He has to work really hard to achieve that, but his basketball IQ and skill level will allow him to be an impact player right away.” – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.