AJ Edu. Photo by Randolph B. Leongson
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes could only gush over the potential of AJ Edu after two practices with the men’s national team.
“Unbelievable,” he said of the 6-foot-10 prodigy. “I want to bring him to the Jones Cup if I could.”
Unfortunately, Reyes has already submitted his shortlist to the tournament organizers and left the Fil-Nigerian prospect out of it.
READ: Fil-Nigerian Edu soaks in chance to train with Gilas
The 17-year-old also must return to England to prepare for his studies after representing the Philippine team in the 2017 Fiba 3×3 Under-18 World Cup in Chengdu, China from June 28 to July 2.
Aside from his skills, what impressed Reyes the most about Edu was his maturity and attitude at his age.
“We really like him. We’ve been eyeing him for a long time and now that we have a chance to work with him, we love him even more,” the outspoken mentor said. “He’s very focused, serious, and very coachable. It’s hard to find the level of seriousness and maturity on a 17-year-old.“
Though he rued the missed opportunity to coach Edu for the invitational tourney, Reyes could only smile as he looks forward to the future of the national team.
“We’re very excited for AJ. We’re very, very happy to have him,” he said.