BONG Ulep couldn't be any happier with the gains Jalen Green has made in his young career, especially after seeing the 18-year-old high-flyer committing to the groundbreaking NBA G League select program.
"Jalen and his parents did all the hard work. It’s really huge and very inspiring, not just to Fil-Ams but to kids all over the US and the world," he said.
Ulep had the luxury of being on the ears of Green in the two years that he went to the country as a member of FilAm Sports USA when it joined the NBTC National Finals in 2018 and 2019.
Not only did Green get a chance to play in the homeland of his mother Bree, but the teem phenom also got a chance to soak in the atmosphere and understand how crazy the country is for the sport of basketball.
"FilAm Sports USA was very fortunate to have him come with us and go play at his mom’s motherland at the NBTC Nationals two years in a row. Nobody in the Philippines knew about him then and FilAm Sports and NBTC introduced him to the Filipino people," said the New Jersey-based Ulep.
"I remember clearly even coach Eric (Altamirano) called me before we boarded the plane the first time we went there. He was so surprised when I had Jalen in our roster and coach Eric cannot believe that the no. 1 sophomore player in the US is a Filipino-American."
Even then, Ulep saw the drive in Green's eyes and lauded his humility despite clearly being the best talent in FilAm Sports' roster.
"He's very observant and always wants to improve on his craft. His humility in accepting and knowing what to work on his weaknesses will bring him closer to his dreams," he said.
"If there's one word to describe him, it's highly-focused. As skilled as he was then, you don’t see that kind of focus, determination, and humility at a young age. What impressed me the most was his love of the game and you could see that with his creativity on the court."
Those traits convinced Ulep that Green will make it big wherever he went.
"When this opportunity to be one of the main guys for the G League elite team came, I guess it was a no-brainer," he said. "It will be the best arena to develop his game and prepare him for the NBA and he will do it in his backyard. He is also a trailblazer, opening an avenue for deserving select high schoolers who dream of going to the NBA and are not keen on going to college."
"I could say that it is a great decision for him and his family."
Ulep just hopes that no matter how big Green's star gets, he never forgets his Filipino roots.
"Hopefully, Jalen will cherish the time he spent in the Philippines and learned more of our Filipino culture as one of our program’s objective is to promote our Filipino culture to the third and fourth-generation Filipino-Americans and know more of their parents culture," he said.
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