Rike keeps options open

MANILA, Philippines — Fil-Am forward Troy Rike has a one-and-done deal with NU in the UAAP where he’ll play his last year of collegiate eligibility after four seasons at Wake Forest University in North Carolina then it’s a wide open road to continue his basketball journey.

Rike, 22, graduated with a business degree at Wake Forest, which happens to be Tim Duncan’s alma mater, this year then was recruited by Gilas coach Chot Reyes to join the pool of “23 for 2023,” referring to the 2023 FIBA World Cup which the Philippines is co-hosting with Indonesia and Japan. He joined the Philippine team on the trip to Taipei for the first game of the third window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and was cited for his sporting gesture at the height of the brawl with Australia in the Philippine Arena last July.

“Ever since I was little kid, I’d dreamed of playing for the national team,” said the 6-7 Rike. “My mother (Veronica Verzosa) is a Filipina who moved to the US when she was eight or nine. I’d been to visit Manila twice before in my teens. It’s like home to me. When I joined the team in Taipei, it was a dream come true. I wasn’t in the final 12-man lineup but I was with the team just the same. That’s a huge honor which I’ll always cherish.”

Rike’s parents are divorced. His father Ray works with a tech company in Silicon Valley while his mother, a former University of San Francisco tennis player, is a teacher in Oakland. He has a sister Taylor, 19 and a half-brother Alex, 13. In high school, Rike starred at St. Ignatius College Prep and was on the California Central Coast Section Division II title squad as a senior. He was a walk-on at Wake Forest.

“In high school, I got all the screens and did a lot of scoring,” he said. “But when I got to Wake Forest, it was a different situation. I didn’t play much but I worked hard every practice. I did the right things that kept me on the team for four years. I competed and got better every year. I worked on my three-point shot so that when I was a senior, I hit my first ever in a game against Duke. That had to be a highlight of my collegiate career. Playing for coach Danny Manning at Wake Forest was a big deal for me. A few days ago, I heard Steve Nash in a podcast describing coach Manning as a player with one of the highest basketball IQs. He’s a legend and I learned a lot from him.” Rike played in only 23 games, including one start, in his four years with the Deacons varsity, scoring a total of seven points. But his presence on a Division I team got Reyes’ attention to bring him over to Gilas.

Because of a UAAP rule allowing Fil-foreigners immediate eligibility right after graduating from a college program abroad, Rike became a hot target of recruiters. He eventually chose to enroll in a Master’s program at NU to play one year in the UAAP. “I’m still in a period of adjustment,” he said. “I’m adjusting to the physicality and the one-on-one isolation in the UAAP. I’m getting used to it. My goal is to win games for NU. I believe in coach Jamike (Jarin). He knows the game, he’s competent. It’s a challenge to win consistently with a young team like ours but I know we’re all ready to contribute.”

Rike said he’s coping with the politics and distractions in college basketball. “I can’t believe how difficult it was for me to get to play for NU,” he said. “My graduation at Wake Forest was even questioned. I thought for a while, I wouldn’t be able to play but I’m glad things worked out in the end. It’s a shame how some people try to stop student-athletes from fulfilling their dream. They go to great lengths to do it. I know what they did to (Ben) Mbala. But I’m staying focused. I’ll go out there and play to the best of my ability for my new school.”

Rike made headlines when he stepped in to protect Australian player Chris Goulding from being stomped on and attacked at the height of the recent Philippine Arena brawl. “I went over to protect a fellow player who was defenseless on the ground,” he said. “At that point, it didn’t matter if he was Australian or Filipino.” Rike’s gesture earned a P100,000 reward from Bounty Agro Ventures president Ronald Mascarinas. Rike donated the amount to the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute of Australia and World Vision Philippines. Mascarinas then matched the P100,000 donation to the same charities. 

Rike said after the UAAP, he plans to play the required 14 games in the PBA D-League to become eligible for the PBA draft as a Fil-foreigner. “I want to keep my options open,” he said. “Surely, the PBA is a goal. I would love to play in the PBA where the best Filipino players are. I know the route is through the PBA D-League so that’s where I’ll probably play after the UAAP. But whether or not I’ll join the draft next year is still something to think about.”