Gilas Pilipinas’ young addition Mason Amos makes good account of himself in his seniors’ debut. –FIBA BASKETBALL
BOCAUE, Bulacan — Mason Amos made quite an introduction in his Gilas Pilipinas debut at the seniors’ level.
Making his debut in the Fiba World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, the 18-year-old big man showed maturity beyond years as the Philippines took down Lebanon, 107-96, on Friday at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Amos made the most of his eight-minute stint as he unleashed 13 points with a perfect 5-of-5 shooting and grabbed two rebounds, providing the spark from the bench.
The Filipino-Aussie, who will make his debut for Ateneo in UAAP Season 86, scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter.
Let him cook! 👨🍳
The debuting Mason Amos caught fire and strung together 11 points in the third 🔥#FIBAWC x #WinForPilipinas 🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/Itbq9f8z6w
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) February 24, 2023
“Just [providing the] energy coming in off the bench. It’s something really like I just stepped up and shot the ball and yeah it felt [good],” said Amos.
Gilas coach Chot Reyes believes the best is yet to come for young Amos.
“Mason is 18 years old. He still has a lot to learn, he still has a lot to develop especially on defense but you can see his shooting prowess for a big man,” Reyes said. “That’s the weapon that we feel that we can use moving forward. I’m very happy about that development.”
The 6-foot-7 big man admitted he felt jitters playing in front of 19,829 fans, but he eventually let the energy of the crowd light a fire under him.
“I came in the game really nervous but I got used to it eventually. It’s great,” said Amos, who played for the national youth team in the Fiba U18 Asian Championship last year.
Amos relished the experience to represent the country in front of the home crowd.
“It’s exciting. There’s a lot of people here. Great community, I love the Philippines man. It’s good representing the country,” he said.