DWIGHT Ramos' journey with the Gilas Pilipinas program has been such a success that he has served as an inspiration for other younger Fil-Ams in California.
Jacob Bayla is among those.
The 6-foot-4 winger from Norwalk admitted that he hopes to emulate Ramos starting with his stint in the Gilas Pilipinas Youth.
"Dwight Ramos is just 30 minutes from where I live, so just seeing him go from Fullerton to here and make a name for himself just really inspired me," he said.
Bayla bared that he has long wished to play for the national team yet never knew how he would get here.
But through the efforts of Cris Gopez and FilAm Nation Select, the Valley Christian School System stud will be one of the key figures when the Philippines plays at the 2022 Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship in Doha.
Jacob Bayla on Gilas Youth debut
"It’s definitely an honor and blessing from God because you never know what opportunity will come to your table. So you just gotta take advantage of it and just play your heart out," he said.
It's hitting two birds with one stone for Bayla who's driven to capitalize on this golden chance to introduce himself to the Filipino fans while also be of help in pushing Gilas Youth to qualify for the 2022 Fiba Under-17 World Cup in Malaga, Spain.
"I think it’s a great opportunity because you're playing internationally and you got a lot of eyes on you and I feel like it’s gonna raise my stock and everybody else’s stock because they see you playing for the national team. That’s just a really big thing here and worldwide," he said.
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