Newcomer AJ Edu has proven himself to be a welcome addition to the Gilas Pilipinas squad, given his performance in the WUS International Basketball Tournament in Heyuan, China.
The young 6-foot-10 scored 15 points in the Philippines’ 75-63 bounce-back win against Senegal before finishing with an all-around effort of eight points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks in a 63-48 victory over Iran.
“He’s doing really well. He’s been a revelation for us, blocking shots and hitting shots; he’s really going to solidify that four position, which we lack since we don’t have Justin Brownlee,” said Gilas assistant coach Tim Cone following their arrival from China.
The Filipino-Nigerian played collegiate basketball for the University of Toledo Rockets, averaging 2.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 35 games during his final season.
Edu, who will play for Japan B.League side Toyama Grouses, first played for the national team as a member of the under-18 squad, which qualified for the FIBA under-19 World Championship in Greece back in 2019.
“With AJ, we’ve always known what he brings to the team,” head coach Chot Reyes said.
“We’ve had him in the program since the under-18 team. The way he played is exactly what we knew he could contribute to the team—his defense, his ability to do a lot of other things.”
Chris Newsome said seeing Edu’s superb outing in China after missing a significant portion of his collegiate career due to ACL injuries will do well for his confidence.
“I love him. He’s doing a great job. He’s coming off an injury; he’s going through a little bit of adversity now too, but seeing what he’s capable of doing, I think it was great to see that,” the Meralco Bolt said. “I think he is ready to go to the World Cup.”
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