FILE – Japeth Aguilar of the Philippines, center, waves with teammates after winning the Group B Basketball World Cup match against Senegal in Seville, Spain, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. The 2014 Basketball World Cup competition will take place in various cities in Spain from Aug. 30 through to Sept. 14. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
Japeth Aguilar’s latest inclusion with Gilas Pilipinas could be his last.
“I can see that with the Gilas’ timetable, it might be my last stint so if ever, I want to leave the country with a nice standing,” he said.
The Barangay Ginebra forward, who turns 30 on Wednesday, has been a part of all iterations of the Gilas program since it started in 2009.
But times have changed since, and with coach Chot Reyes leaning towards working with a younger pool, Aguilar has been entrusted in the position of being one of the group’s elder statesmen.
Though still a bit hesitant at first, Aguilar knows that he has to fill the gaps left by veterans like Marc Pingris and Ranidel de Ocampo as he hopes to impart the knowledge he learned from them.
“Hopefully, [their leadership traits] rubbed off. I’ll do my best on my part to help the team. I’ve learned a lot from the veterans, on how important every practice is, so I hope to pass it on to the younger guys,” he said.
The challenge may be great, but just like every time he donned the national tri-colors before, Aguilar said it’s always a thrill to represent the country in the international stage.
“I’m looking forward to playing for the national team again,” he said. “I have to prepare myself. It’s a different system from our Ginebra style of basketball. So even now, I’ll plan hard on what skill sets I need to have for coach Chot’s system.”