The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons officially got the commitment of one-and-done prospect Henry Galinato to play for them.
Mr. Galinato, a 6’6″ forward who played at Benedictine University Mesa in the United States, is already eligible to suit up for UP in University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 and excited to help the Maroons in their next campaign.
While with the Mesa Redhawks, Mr. Galinato averaged 13 points and 9.6 rebounds in his senior year.
He joins a bevy of UP recruits, which include Carl Tamayo, Gerry Abadiano, and Terrence Fortea.
UP men’s basketball team head of basketball operations Bo Perasol sought the help of Fil-Am Nation Select to help facilitate for a private workout with Mr. Galinato and two other prospects and was impressed at what he saw.
The UAAP is targeting a February 2022 start for Season 84 basketball, nearly two years since calling a halt to activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league is currently awaiting approval from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), the Department of Health (DoH), and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for its student-athletes to resume training in a bubble setup later this year.
As per UAAP coaches, they would need at least three months of training for the basketball players to be in game shape.
The league said all of its basketball athletes are already fully vaccinated and facilities of member-schools have been retrofitted in preparation for training resumption. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo