Aguilar first RP cager to play in US NCAA

Japeth Aguilar, the gangling 6-foot-9 former Ateneo Blue Eagle who opted to try his luck in the US after two seasons in the UAAP, will be the first Filipino to ever play in the US NCAA Division I after the Western Kentucky University signed him up for its basketball program.

WKU head coach Darrin Horn announced Tuesday that Aguilar has signed scholarship papers and will join the men’s basketball program next year. He will sit out the 2006-07 season due to transfer rules but will have two years of eligibility remaining for the Hilltoppers.

Aguilar, a 210-pound center from Pampanga, thus became the first Philippine basketball player ever to sign with a Division I program.

"We are excited to have Japeth joining our program," said Horn in wkusports.com, the school’s official website. "He brings us good size and the ability to block shots on the defensive end.

Horn added: "Offensively, he has great versatility because of his ability to play facing the basket. The fact that Japeth will be in our program for one year before being eligible will only enhance his development."

As a sophomore at Ateneo, Aguilar normed 5.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game to help lead the Blue Eagles to an 11-5 finish in 2005.

He scored in double digits on three occasions, while missing churning out a double-double performance twice after posting nine points and a career-best 10 rebounds in Ateneo’s season opener as well as 10 points and eight rebounds later in the year in a win over Far Eastern University.

Aguilar shot 55.4 percent (36-of-65) in the season, and he was credited with multiple blocks in 12 of the Blue Eagles’ 16 games – that included a career high of seven as well as two other contests with five or more. In fact, he led the UAAP in the shot block department in his sophomore season.

He saw limited action as a freshman at Ateneo due to appendicitis, but still managed to score 11 points, grab 11 rebounds and block 10 shots in only 51 minutes of action.

Aguilar’s father, Peter, was a longtime player in the PBA. Aguilar attended the Reedley International School prior to his two seasons at Ateneo.

The Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt Conference East Division title outright for the first time since 2002-03 last season, and have won 19 of their last 23 league contests.