WITH the Ateneo women's basketball program taking a major leap in UAAP Season 85, two of its star players got Gilas Women's attention.
Blue Eagles Jhazmin Joson and rookie Kacey Dela Rosa - a tandem who Ateneo coach LA Mumar described as their version of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - have received an invitation to train with the national team.
"Well it'll be an honor to play for the country. I wasn't really planning on going but I mean, if I'm invited, why not?" said Joson, a fourth-year guard, after their season ended at the hands of the NU Lady Bulldogs on Wednesday.
Ateneo claimed the last seat in the Final Four with a 7-7 record, mainly due to the stellar play of Joson and Dela Rosa.
The runaway frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors, Dela Rosa averaged a team-high 16.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks.
Joson, on the other hand, averaged 11.3 markers, 6.6 boards, 6.8 assists, and 1.9 steals.
A Filipino-American, Joson is eligible to play for Gilas Women as she holds a Philippine passport, having obtained it years back.
Mumar assured that the Blue Eagles will allow the pair to train for Gilas, if they explicitly fulfill one condition.
"[I]papahiram namin itong dalawang ito. Promise. Basta okay yung grades nila, yun naman yung condition," said the first-year coach.
"Pero basta okay yung grades nila, ipapahiram namin, hindi kami madamot. We're gonna lend them for the national team," he added.
NU team captain and Gilas mainstay Camille Clarin also raved about the possible inclusion of Joson and Dela Rosa to the Philippine contingent.
"They're very talented players. I love guarding Jhaz Joson, as you guys see. We respect each other so much, our game, especially defensively, we make it a thing to always guard each other, after the game she always commends me for that and I do the same with her," explained Clarin.
"I love their intensity, their ceiling is, they don't have a ceiling. And that's what we need for Gilas. We're always looking for new talent and to find it locally is even better."
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.
