CHICAGO — Jen Ablan-Reyes and her husband, former PBA player Jay-R Reyes, were living the best suburbanite life.
Stable careers. Helpers at home, a driver, and most importantly, two wonderful children.
Two years ago, in a move that was sparked by a 2023 visit at PHHacility in Phoenix, followed by a tour at Arizona State University, they left all that quiet comfort behind.
Coming to America full-time wasn’t acted on a whim but a carefully planned course designed to give wings to their kids’ hoop dreams.
Tyler and Tiffany, who both attended La Salle Zobel from grade school through early high school, not only love basketball, they’re great at it.
UPROOTED REYESES.
So their parents laid the groundwork to put them in a better position to succeed.
“The level of basketball development in the US — the quality of coaching, the competition, the training infrastructure and the exposure to high-level programs year-round — far exceeds what we could access back home,” Jen, a former UP varsity volleyball player, said of her family’s move to the US.
As expected, the transition was met with challenges in adapting to the culture, the food and the other nuances of life abroad including the brutally cold winters.
“With God’s grace,” the Filipino resilience and fighting spirit that are embedded in the Ablan-Reyes DNA came shining through.
All the hard work, belief and sacrifice are beginning to pay off.
Tiffany, already a veteran Gilas Women’s campaigner, has just been accepted at prestigious Blair Academy in New Jersey, the alma mater of Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft.
UNLIMITED POTENTIAL.
“I’m grateful to be given this opportunity to continue my academic and basketball career at Blair,” the 6-foot-1, 135-lbs Tiffany, 15, told SPIN.ph.
Tyler, meanwhile, is a towering 6-foot-8, 220-lb wing who was accepted at Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania, the program that produced Florida Gators point guard Xavian Lee.
“Will make the most of this blessed opportunity,” Tyler, 17, said.
Both Tiffany and Tyler are in the midst of standout AAU seasons that are being noticed beyond Blair and Perkiomen.
“The sky is the limit for Tiffany. and Tyler. They have the work ethic to match their abilities,” an executive at a recruiting agency that supplies players in the UAAP noted.
Still, Tyler and Tiffany have their work cut out for them as they enter a higher plane of competition.
But Tony Ronzone of Wasserman Sports is already a believer.
“This is an incredible opportunity for them to grow in the world of USA basketball. Both are talents with a great future and could help Gilas.”
And the Reyeses basketball journey continues.
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