Filoil squads test PH U-18 national team’s mettle

MANILA, Philippines – Before engaging against the best young guns in Asia and possibly the world, the PH Youth U-18 national team will have to go up against tough opposition first in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup, which kicks off on Wednesday, April 23 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

This is why head coach Jamike Jarin dubs their stint at the country’s premiere preseason collegiate tournament a yardstick to see how competitive they are.

“It’s a gauge on how we can compete against the best,” said Jarin, who also engineered the silver-medal winning PH U-16 crew in the FIBA Asia Championship last year.

The U-18 nationals banner a group of youthful stalwarts who are tabbed to make a splash with their respective college teams.

San Beda College’s star guard Andrei Caracut, reigning UAAP juniors MVP Thirdy Ravena of Ateneo de Manila University, his teammate John Apacible, University of the Philippines’ Paul Desiderio, Far Eastern University’s Richard Escoto, and Hope Christian High School’s Jolo Go are just some of the names in Jarin’s talent-rich pool.

“This also serves as preparation for the players’ participation in their mother tournaments like the UAAP and the NCAA, the team effort is preparation for the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championships on May 3 and the Fiba U-18 championships this coming August,” said assitant coach Ricky Reyes.

Reyes added their exposure against collegiate squads will help solidify the team’s chemistry and elevate their performance, which is critical when the Asian joust takes place later this year.

The Philippines will first meet their ASEAN neighbors in the SEABA tilt on May 5 to 7, where the top two finishers represent the region in the FIBA Asia U-18 Championship in Doha, Qatar from August 19-28.

In addition, the top 3 squads in the Asian qualifiers will represent the continent in the 2015 FIBA World U-19 Championship to be held in Greece.

“We were fortunate that Filoil allowed us to play in the tournament because that will give us valuable experience. What Coach Jamike wants to see is their intensity level and how they will rise up against the challenge of playing against teams loaded with championship experience and veteran leadership.”

The U-18 crew is bracketed in Group B with NCAA defending champions San Beda Red Lions, first runner-up Letran Knights, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, Lyceum Pirates, Mapua Cardinals, and newcomers St. Clare of NAASCU.

Making the rest of the national team pool are Aaron Black, Dave Yu, Dawn Ochea, John Apacible, Mark Dyke, Ranbill Tongco, Leonard Santillan, Henry Asilum, Manuel Mosqueda, Aron Manguera, Rendell Senining, Renzo Subido, Andrey Armenion, Jerrick Balanza, Ricci Rivero, Amando San Juan, Isaac Go, and JP Caulian – all familiar names in Philippine basketball.

Last year, Jarin anchored the PH U-16 national team to a silver medal in the FIBA Asia U-16 Championship in Tehran, Iran. 

This earned them a berth to the FIBA World U-17 Championship in Dubai on August 8-16, where they are bracketed with the United States, Angola, and Greece in Group A.

– Rappler.com with reports from Levi Verora