Isaiah Austin arrives in Manila, ready to get to work for Gilas
Guess who's in the house? @IsaiahAustin #zeke pic.twitter.com/0P12v8U2zD
— Chot Reyes (@coachot) September 12, 2017
Isaiah Austin is ready to lead Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the Fiba Asia Champions Cup in Chenzhou, China.
Austin, a former star out of Baylor University, arrived in Manila late Tuesday night.
He wasted no time in thanking Filipino fans on his Twitter account for greeting him with a warm welcome upon his arrival.
“I’m here. Ready to get to work. Thank you all the fans for the endless love and support that I’ve received already,” Austin wrote.
The 7-foot-1 center, who last played in the Chinese National Basketball League for the Guangxi Rhinos, is also being considered as a candidate for naturalization.
Austin is one of two Gilas imports in the tournament, featuring top club teams in Asia including the defending champions Xinjiang Flying Tigers led by Andray Blatche.
Gilas, which will be under the banner of Chooks-to-Go, also tapped University of the Philippines’ Bright Akhetie as its other reinforcement.
The 23-year-old Austin has an inspiring story to tell. He declared for the 2014 NBA Draft after playing two years in college.
He was a highly-touted prospect until he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, which is an inherited disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue, that nearly ended his basketball career.
Austin was given the go-signal to continue playing basketball in 2016 and is now on a path to reintroduce himself who he once was on the court.
In college, he was a member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in 2014 and an All-Rookie Team in 2013.
