GILAS Pilipinas Youth grabbed headlines when it added Palarong Pambansa sensation Chog Moral to its pool for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers.
Moral made his debut for the national team in the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup last Wednesday, and was grateful to square up against new-age UAAP power University of the Philippines.
“Sobrang excited ko,” he said following his five-point, two-assist performance in their loss to the Fighting Maroons. “Makakalaban mo yung mga magagaling sa UAAP and NCAA. And yun bale yung magiging stepping stone ko sa aking career.“
In his young career, Moral has emerged as a trending talent with much thanks to his flashy plays in the Palarong Pambansa, ASEAN School Games, and Junior MPBL.
But now that the 17-year-old playmaker knows what it feels like to have 'Pilipinas' on his chest, he hopes to continue wearing the flag from the Filoil Preseason all the way to SEABA.
“Sisipagan ko lang. Sana every day, every game, every practice na-i-improve ko yung sarili ko para makatungtong sa pangarap ko,” he said.
“Nakakapag-gel naman kami sa team, (pero) kailangan pa namin ng chemistry para ma-build talaga yung team namin.”
READ: Sauler hopes Chog and Co. stay put with Gilas Youth after Filoil
The good news for him is Pampanga Vice Governor Delta Pineda heeded Gilas Youth coach Juno Sauler's call and committed Moral to the national team program, even with the Palarong Pambansa looming.
“Sana palarin na makapaglaro sa (Gilas Youth). Lalo ko pang ini-improve sarili ko para makapaglaro dito,” he said.
Chog's chance
Although his highlights already show off his capability and confidence of making a name for himself, this golden opportunity to represent the Philippines may very well catapult his game to greater heights.
And in getting a taste of competing against the Fighting Maroons and watching from the bench in Gilas Youth's earlier loss to Far Eastern University, Moral is getting to know exactly what it takes for him to live up to the hype.
“Yung laro dito sa Manila is system, and yun talaga yung bini-build dito. Kaya kailangan, kumpiyansa ka sa sarili talaga,” he said.
Time will tell if he does continue trending upward, but for now, Moral is already hard at work in making it happen.
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