JORDAN Clarkson remains hopeful that one day, he'll get to don the national tri-colors anew.
The Fil-Am guard, who is currently suiting up for the Utah Jazz, did get a chance to represent the Philippines in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where the Yeng Guiao-coached side finished in fifth place.
But he's not alone.
Through the years, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has kept a keen eye on overseas talent, hoping that players with Filipino lineage would be identified and convinced to acquire their Philippine passports before they turn 16.
That's the tricky part, with the federation hoping that these young talents pass the scrutiny of the Fiba rule that requires players to acquire the passport of the country they want to represent before turning 16.
A few were able to play scot-free, like Fil-Canadian sniper Matthew Wright, who remains a part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool after being named as a cadet in 2016, and Fil-Am winger Dwight Ramos, who was recently included in the 2023 Fiba World Cup pool.
For others, like Fil-German banger Christian Standhardinger and Fil-Am slasher Stanley Pringle, they had to be considered as naturalized players in Fiba-sanctioned tournaments because of the Hagop rule.
There's still a handful of players, though, who the SBP have identified before but have yet to don the national tri-colors. Spin.ph decided to revisit a few of them and see where are they now.
Some are eligible to play as locals. Some hopefully become eligible soon once Fiba listens to the Philippine plea to do away with the passport rule.
Jason Brickman
Brickman was one of the first prospects coach Chot Reyes identified in the early 2010s as the 6-foot court general became the fourth player in Division I to dish out 1,000 assists in his four years for LIU Brooklyn.
After his graduation, Brickman took his act to Dynamo Moscow in Russia and Medi Bayreuth in Germany before finding his way to Southeast Asia, first for the Westports Malaysia Dragons and then Mono Vampire and Hi-Tech Bangkok City in Thailand.
At 28, he finally played for the Philippines through San Miguel Alab Pilipinas last year and was the assists leader this season with 9.1 dimes, together with 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds before the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) suspended its 2019-2020 season indefinitely.
Stephen Holt
The last of the quartet in Reyes' 2011 wishlist, alongside Standhardinger, Wright, and Brickman, was the 6-foot-4 Fil-Am who played all four years for Saint Mary's and posted 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his senior year for the Gaels.
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, Holt linked up with Canton Charge in the NBA G-League. He has since played for Melbourne United and Brisbane Bullets in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), Basquet Club Andorra SA, Tecnyconta Zaragoza in Spain, ČEZ Nymburk in Czech Republic, Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland, and twice for BC Astana in Kazakhstan and KK Koper Primorska in Slovenia.
The 28-year-old, whose mother Jackie is Filipino, is currently on his second tour of duty for KK Koper Primorska and is averaging 13.5 points on a 36-percent clip from threes, alongside 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the ABA Liga Supercup.
Troy Rike
Coming off a four-year stint with Wake Forest, the 6-foot-7 center got his callup in 2018 when the Gilas cadets played in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup.
He eventually found his way to National University, averaging 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in a tumultuous one-and-done UAAP season.
Rike was a pool member in the first three windows of the Asian qualifiers for the 2019 Fiba World Cup, but never made the cut.
He did get a chance to represent the country in the 3x3 circuit as the 24-year-old is a mainstay in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 league and is one of the top 3x3 players in the land.
Sedrick Barefield
Reyes also targetted the 6-foot-2 Barefield in the past, hoping that the Fil-Am, whose mom Kat is Filipino, would sort his papers out in time. Until now, those plans haven't come to fruition, even after Barefield finished his studies at SMU and Utah.
The 23-year-old native of Corona, California went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, but was picked up by Oklahoma City for the NBA Summer League.
He has signed with the Thunder's NBA G-League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue, where he's averaging 9.0 points on a 39-percent shooting from distance, to go with 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his rookie year.
Christian David
David is one of the most notable prospects overseas for Filipino pundits, with the Fil-Canadian forward standing at 6-foot-6. His parents hail from Bacolor and even practiced with the Pampanga Lanterns of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) back in 2018.
David currently studies at Butler, where he normed 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 14.0 minutes through 17 games in his junior year.
Kamaka Hepa
Hepa got his chance to show his wares in the country during the 2017 NBTC National Finals as he suited up for FilAm Sports. The 6-foot-9 Fil-Am from Hawaii's father Roland hails from Asingan, Pangasinan.
He has since committed to Texas, where he played in 23 games in his sophomore season and has averaged 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.9 minutes for the Longhorns.
Remy Martin
Easily one of the most recognizable names in this list is Martin, who recently declared for the 2020 NBA Draft. The 6-foot Fil-Am guard was sensational in his three years at Arizona State, notching 19.1 points on a 34-percent clip from deep, alongside 4.1 assists, 3.1 boards, and 1.5 steals in his junior season with the Sun Devils.
Martin, whose mother Mary Ann is Filipino, has been included in the SBP's plan for the 2023 Fiba World Cup, and has been vocal in his desire to one day, play for the Philippines.
Kihei Clark
Clark made the news last year when he proved to be a big part of Virginia's run to the NCAA championship during his freshman year. The 20-year-old point guard, whose mother Sharon is Filipina, has since picked it up for the Cavaliers, averaging 10.8 points on a 38-percent clip from threes, to go with 5.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in his second season.
But even before the Fil-Am committed to Virginia, Clark has already showcased his talents in the 2018 NBTC National Finals as he backstopped FilAm Sports and was even named as the All-Star Game MVP.
Jalen Green
A five-star recruit of the 2020 class, Green already established himself as one of the top prospects for colleges in the United States.
But even before that, the 6-foot-5 forward gave the Filipino fans a glimpse of what he can do when he played for FilAm Sports in the NBTC National Finals in 2018 and 2019, the last of which is best remembered for his dunk over 7-foot-2 Kai Sotto.
He is so good that USA Basketball enlisted him for the youth tournaments. That saw him win the 2018 Fiba Under-17 World Cup MVP while also leading Team USA to gold medals in that tourney and in the Fiba Under-19 World Cup a year after.
Green, whose mom Bree is of Filipino descent, is still undecided on where to commit, but has already gotten offers from Kentucky, Auburn, Memphis, Oregon, Florida State, USC and Fresno State.
Jeron Artest
The 19-year-old son of Metta World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) is also one of the young talents the SBP has had its eyes on for the longest time.
Standing at 6-foot-3, he showed his tenacious game in the 2019 NBTC National Finals for FilAm Sports, evoking memories of the defensive mind his dad had back in his playing days.
Artest, whose mom Jennifer Palma is Filipino, averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in his freshman year for UC Irvine this past year.
Sage Tolentino
The youngest in this list is also the latest name to be unveiled by no less than SBP president Al Panlilio.
Tolentino, 16, already stands 7-foot tall and is looked at as a potential frontcourt partner for the likes of Sotto and AJ Edu in the future.
The Fil-Am center averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks for Maryknoll in Hawaii and led the Spartans to back-to-back State Championships last February.
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