RISING STAR big man Luis Pablo is ready to juggle his act with De La Salle University in the UAAP and Gilas Pilipinas in the Asian Games (Asiad), shooting for no less than a pair of championships.
Now tasked to fill in the gargantuan shoes left by Mike Phillips in spearheading the La Salle Green Archers’ title defense bid, Mr. Pablo has also been given an additional role of anchoring the Gilas 3×3 team in the Aichi-Nagoya Asiad next week.
“The main key is balancing and willingness to play for La Salle and represent the country. It’s a big challenge with two teams and two preparations but it’s looking good,” said Mr. Pablo, a former NCAA MVP with La Salle Greenhills before starting his collegiate career with University of the Philippines and now La Salle.
“The goal is to win back-to-back in the UAAP and to bring home the gold for the Philippines. We will push ourselves for that ultimate goal.”
La Salle last year survived the departure of two-time Season MVP Kevin Quiambao with Mr. Phillips joining forces with then transferee Mr. Pablo and ace guard Jacob Cortez in holding the fort en route to a sweet title redemption bid and a Finals MVP citation.
This season, the Green Archers will attempt to survive another departure of their vital cog to the Japan B.League with Mr. Pablo now as the starting center when they open their campaign against National University in a Final Four rematch on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
La Salle expects the 6-foot-7 forward to show that he’s deserving of that role, especially with an added experience with the national team under the watch of Patrick Fran before their departure to Nagoya next week.
“The most important thing right now is to find how to fill in the shoes of Mike and Luis is the next Mike for us,” La Salle assistant coach Caloy Garcia told The STAR.
“He has to try to get that motor with which Mike left. And he’s working on it. Malaking tulong nga sa kanya yung 3×3. He’s also getting added experience in the game. It’s more physical so it’s gonna prepare him for the final fight in the UAAP.”
“Mike’s role will be a very big shoes to fill. Not a single person can do it so I’ll try my best to fill that role, in terms of leadership as well. We will help one another and it’s gonna be a collective effort,” vowed Mr. Pablo.
Mr. Pablo and Gilas are bracketed in Group A with powerhouse Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan in the Asiad 3×3 starting on Sept. 21, after the men’s 5-on-5 tournament. — John Bryan Ulanday