Filipino-Canadian forward Matthew Daves commits to Ateneo

Ateneo just deepened its prized wing rotation for the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament after adding forward Matthew Daves.

Daves, who is of Filipino and Canadian decent and played for Durham Crossover in the NBTC tournament, met with Ateneo team patron Manny V. Pangilinan to formalize his commitment to the defending UAAP champion.

Durham head coach Mike Cruz also posted a photograph of their visit on his Facebook profile.

Daves joins Thirdy Ravena, Mike Nieto, and Troy Malilin in Ateneo’s wing rotation and that is only if the Blue Eagles play conventional, positional basketball.

At 6-foot-5, Daves also played power forward for his school Central Tech in Toronto.

Central Tech head coach Kevin Jeffers, as per Hooptown GTA’s (Greater Toronto Area) official website, described Daves “a force and a specimen.”

“What impresses me about Matthew is his high IQ and hidden skill set. When Matthew plays in open space, he truly shines and becomes a force,” said Jeffers. “Even though he is known for his power and ability to jump out of the gym, Matthew brings much more.”