By NIKOLE JAVIER
From one big man to the next.
For promising Gilas Pilipinas center AJ Edu, having a good relationship with his fellow big men Kai Sotto, Japeth Aguilar and June Mar Fajardo has been a huge factor why he’s earning raves from almost everybody.
Drawing praises from NBA stars and turning heads in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Edu has surely made a good account of himself at the senior level.
While the 23-year-old has previously shared the court with Sotto in their time as Gilas Youth members, it was equally as important for Edu to establish the same connection with veteran bigs Aguilar and Fajardo.
“Me and Kai have a good relationship off the court and I think that translates on the court in terms of being on the same page, but also everyone talks about my relationship with Kai. I also have a great relationship with Japeth, June Mar and learn a lot from them as well. This experience has been invaluable in terms of getting that court time with Kai, June Mar, Japeth. Just great bigs that I’m learning a lot from,” Edu said.
Though dispirited as the Philippines remained winless in four outings in the quadrennial tournament following an 87-68 drubbing at the hands of South Sudan on Thursday, Aug. 31, Edu was proud of the rest of the squad for not completely backing down and encouraged them to put everything on the line for their final showing.
“Tough loss, but I’m really proud of all of the guys, man. The fight we showed to bring that game back down to four points just shows the heart that we have. So, I’m just really proud of everyone for the fight we showed and just encouraging everyone to keep our heads up [since] we’ve got one more game,” he said.
