CHICAGO - After winning his second UAAP title, tying it with a bow as Season 88 Finals MVP, La Salle star Michael "Motor Mike" Phillips is revving up for his next stop.
With interests from Australia, Germany, Japan and the Euroleague, Phillips has signed with an international management firm, California-based Tresports Management, to help him navigate his pro career.
"I'm excited to enjoy the holidays with my family, as it will be the first time in a whole year that the whole Phillips family will be all together," Mike told me via text message.
READ Phillips goes on a 'Giannis Game' to reclaim crown for La Salle
After that, it will be all business for Motor Mike, who will depart from Manila to the US this December 30.
A 6-foot-8, 230-lb power forward, Phillips, seasoned by five years of battle scars at Taft, had long been on the radar of international scouts and executives.
And the beeping alert went high-octane after a golden Season 88 where the 23-year old from Ohio clinched La Salle's championship with a dominant 25 points and 18 rebounds in an 80-72 Game Three win over UP.
GILAS DREAM.
Should he opt for the Land of the Rising Sun, Mike will suit up as a world import.
He is, however, still working on his eligibility as an Asian import. Not having secured his Philippine passport before age 16, a requirement that FIBA has recently stretched to 18, is a giant hurdle, of course.
But it's a doable task, a hurdle which Quentin Millora-Brown successfully navigated.
Although he already has a Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) gold medal in his trophy case, Phillips is hungry for more and would love to play for Gilas Team A under coach Tim Cone.
Whether it's the NBL or NBL1, Down Under will offer an opportunity for the former Green Archer to improve on his craft. Ditto with the Bundesliga, plus the Pro A and Pro B action in Germany.
The Euroleague is going to be extremely tough to break through but Mike has never been one to shrink under pressure.
NO, THANK YOU.
While the offers from the MPBL are lucrative and flattering, the regional league will not be an option for Mike.
How about the PBA?
Not an option, either. At least for now.
With a "gap year" coming and the PBA Season 51 Rookie Draft not taking place until January of 2027, sitting out is simply not beneficial to Phillips' financial health and career advancement.
It's unclear where he lands next.
What's clear is that whichever team acquires Michael Phillips will get an unselfish team player who can score and defend at a high level.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
