JOREY Napoles is finally living his life-long dream.
The 6-foot-4 Napoles gets a chance to carry the country’s colors for the very first time as Limitless App will try to retain the 3x3 men’s gold in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Jorey Napoles on SEA Games stint
The Appmasters were tapped to represent the Philippines in the biennial showcase following their dominant run in the PBA 3x3 tournament where they’ve won four leg titles so far and were crowned grand champions during the first conference.
With Napoles in the team to be handled by coach Willie Wilson are Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Marvin Hayes, and Reymar Caduyac.
A first-round pick by Phoenix in the 2018 PBA draft, Napoles said it was a dream of his to play for the national team.
“Pangarap ko lang yan, pero ngayon natupad na,” he said.
“Pero hindi pa talaga ako naniniwala. Siguro kapag nandun na ako (Vietnam) at nakaka-paglaro na ako, doon na ako maniniwala.”
Napoles played two seasons with the Phoenix franchise as part of its 5-on-5 team, but found himself relegated to the 3x3 side during the inaugural conference of the half-court game late last year.
He had no regrets being demoted in the standalone tournament.
“Napunta ako rito, nakakapaglaro ako, napapakita ko yung talent ko, nagkaka-confidence ako sa sarili,” said the very first player from the Technological Institute of the Philippines to be drafted in the pro league.
“Siguro God’s plan talaga.”
The Appmasters are eyeing to keep the 3x3 gold initially won by the quartet of CJ Perez, Mo Tautuaa, Jason Perkins, and Chris Newsome during the inaugural staging of the event in the SEA Games back in 2019.
The 3x3 men’s team will be leaving for Hanoi on May 9, with the competitions set May 13 and 14, respectively.
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