Forthsky Padrigao commits to Blue Eagles

Even with still a school year left in high school, Rence Keith Sean Padrigao, or better known as Forthsky, is already one of the most sought-after players from the junior ranks. 

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets court general has been getting collegiate offers from various schools both locally and abroad.

But this early, the Padrigao family has deemed it best to commit to the senior program of the Ateneo Blue Eagles under coach Tab Baldwin. This was confirmed first to Rappler by Marvin Padrigao, the uncle of the Ateneo skipper. 

 “The Ateneo management made us feel they really wanted to have Forthsky in the senior squad,” said the elder Padrigao, a former PBA D-League head coach for Zark’s Burger and a former assistant coach in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

“Coach Tab talked to us about his desire to develop Forthsky not just into a good player but also into a good person.”

In Padrigao, the Blue Eagles will get a scoring point guard whose heady plays have also been noticed in the international arena. 

The teen standout received an invitation to the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend held last February at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. 

Padrigao, however, had to skip the event as it coincided with the stepladder semifinals of the UAAP juniors competition. He would have been the second Filipino in the NBA event alongside his former teammate Kai Sotto.

In the 2018 NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia camp held in India, Padrigao was named the Most Valuable Player, besting top young players from countries like Australia, New Zealand, China, and Iran. 

In the last UAAP season, Padrigao paced the Blue Eaglets in scoring with 16.7 points. He led the entire juniors competition in assists with 3.6 dimes per game and in steals with 3.6 per outing. He was also second in field goals made and finished third overall in the individual statistics. – Rappler.com