Edu – worth the wait

MANILA, Philippines — It’s been a long wait for AJ Edu to join Gilas at the senior level and now that the FIBA World Cup is 16 days away from reeling off, he’s proving himself deserving of a spot in coach Chot Reyes’ final 12-man roster. Edu, 23, tagged along in Gilas’ recent European trip but never played in six tune-up games. He sprained an ankle on his last day of a two-week training grind in Brisbane before landing in Manila last June and was advised to avoid five-on-five contact.

While on the mend, Edu showed up for every Gilas practice, joining drills and shootarounds whenever he could to stay sharp. There was never a doubt of his commitment to Gilas. So when he was finally cleared to play, the 6-10 center was ready to go. In four games at the Heyuan WUS International Tournament in China from last Thursday to Monday, Edu averaged nine points and played a stellar role in every outing.

Edu notched nine points and nine rebounds in Gilas’ 76-65 win over Iran to start hostilities then hit back-to-back baskets to push the Philippines up by one to open the fourth period before Senegal regrouped to win, 72-64. In Gilas’ third contest, Edu fired a team-high 15 points with three triples and grabbed seven boards to power the Philippines to a 75-63 revenge victory over Senegal. And last Monday, Edu compiled eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots as Gilas closed out the campaign with a rousing 63-48 disposal of Iran.

Edu’s ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting gives Reyes the option to play the Fil-Nigerian at four alongside June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto or Japeth Aguilar. The frontline rotation will be key in matching up against the bigs of the Dominican Republic, Angola and Italy in the first round of the FIBA World Cup.

Edu’s basketball journey has been plagued by injuries but that’s in the past. At the FIBA World Cup U19 Championships in Greece four years ago, he suffered an ACL tear in his right knee in the first game. As a University of Toledo freshman in 2018-19, he recovered to average 3.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 33 games. Then, Edu sat out the next season with another ACL injury on his other knee. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, he played sparingly, checking in for only two games in each campaign. But in 2022-23, Edu was fully recovered to play in 35 games, averaging 2.8 points and 2.9 rebounds. Former Australian national player and Chicago Bulls veteran Cam Bairstow took Edu under his wing and brought him to camp in Brisbane before reporting for Gilas duty. Edu said he never lost hope and faith in the Lord while practically missing three seasons at Toledo. His first national stint was at the FIBA Asia U18 Championships in Thailand in 2018 with Sotto. Now, he has the chance not only to reunite with Sotto but also to learn from veterans in making his senior debut with Gilas.