PLAYING for Gilas Pilipinas was not necessarily on the 2025 bingo card for Veejay Pre.
But honestly, this year hasn’t really gone as planned for the UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year, and he’s just thankful for this new opportunity in his still-young career.
“Nagulat talaga ako,” said the Floridablanca, Pampanga native after he was among the first eight names bared by coach Norman Black for the national team in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
READ: Black lists 8 players committed to play for Gilas at SEA Games
Pre was the biggest surprise on Black's list which included naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame, Fil-Am guard Remy Martin, Japan B.League studs Bobby Ray Parks and Matthew Wright, Abra Weavers star Dave Ildefonso, and incoming PBA draftee Jason Brickman.
“Di talaga ako makapaniwala kasi pangarap ng lahat ng athletes yun, na mapasama sa Gilas, kaya thankful lang ako," the 19-year-old stated.
This early, Pre sees this as a fulfillment of a lifelong dream, one that he came close to, but missed out on when he was cut from the youth team years back.
“Muntik na akong makasama sa 16U, pero hindi ako na-lineup,” the 6-foot-5 forward said, looking back on that time when he was part of that pool for the 2022 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship in Qatar.
It was a loaded team which featured the likes of now-University of the Philippines teammate Jacob Bayla, Fil-Am forward Caelum Harris, Andy Gemao, Ateneo star Jared Bahay, and University of Santo Tomas transferee Kristian Porter.
Three years later, he gets ahead of all of them in making it to the seniors team.
Pre para sa Pilipinas
Yet for Pre, he’s taking the announcement with a grain of salt, focusing on what it can do for his career and the lessons he’s about to take.
“Sa akin, ma-lineup man ako o hindi, sobrang thankful na kasi alam kong marami akong matututunan at ma-share na knowledge,” he said, making the most of his redshirt year before being eligible to play for the Fighting Maroons come UAAP Season 89 next year.
“Malaking bagay sa akin yun para pagbalik ko sa UP, sigurado akong madadala ko lahat yun.”
And it’s no surprise who among his future peers Pre is looking forward linking up with in Gilas.
“Justin Brownlee, siyempre,” he said excitingly. “Sobrang bilib ako sa kanya at sobrang sarap siguro niya maging ka-teammate.”
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.
