ALEX Cabagnot knows all too well how difficult it is for a Fil-foreign talent to break through in the Philippine basketball landscape.
He himself had to go through ardship before making it to the PBA and winning nine championships - all with San Miguel. So with that in mind, he and his cousin Cris Gopez are doing their part in paving the road for these prospects through Fil-Am Nation Select.
"We talked about how do we get Filipino basketball players more exposure here in the US, Canada, and around the globe and educate them about playing in the Philippines. So we decided to start the platform in which all Filipino can showcase their talent at our events and be recognized" said Gopez.
Established last December, Fil-Am Nation Select is a program where players with Filipino lineage in the US can know more about Philippine basketball in the hope of bringing them over to play in leagues or, hopefully, with Gilas Pilipinas.
There's also Fil-Can Nation Select, which is geared towards Fil-Canadian players.
Both are under the parent company Fil-Foreign Nation Select.
"The ultimate goal is to be the one-stop shop to discover all Fil-foreign athletes across the globe, to provide them a platform for exposure and education about the process of playing in the Philippines," said Gopez, adding his program will be looking to work with agents and college recruiters in the country to unearth more talent overseas.
Players who wish to be a part of the program need only to regularly attend their regional camps held in Los Angeles and San Francisco in California and in Hawaii. More regional camps are planned across the US, including Seattle, Arizona, Las Vegas, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Chicago, and Virginia.
Across the border in Canada, plans are also up for camps in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
"All participants must attend the regional camps so they can be invited to the Summit, where all the top Filipino players will be looking for a spot for the Top 25 players from ages 10 to 18, both male & female," he said.
Aside from the two existing programs, Gopez shared that part of the plans for Fil-Foreign Nation Select is to extend its boundaries to the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Nigeria, and Dubai in the long run.
Fil-Am Nation Select has already teamed up with Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach and program director Patrick Aquino to stage tryouts in the US back in February.
Gopez is confident that through the program, more Filipinos will be unearthed and can secure their Philippine passport before the age of 16, with the main goal bringing those talents to Philippine shores.
"We have the talent and we just need to build the platform and awareness so more talents can be identified as Filipinos," he said.
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