MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles bolstered their lineup by acquiring two young basketball prospects ahead of UAAP Season 87.
Coming o ff a failed title defense in UAAP Season 86, Ateneo has secured the commitments of 18-year-olds Kristian Porter and Femi Edu, the team announced on Thursday.
Porter, a 6-foot-5 forward, is fresh off his second Mythical Five season in the UAAP high school ranks with the Blue Eaglets, where he averaged 18.1 points, 15.5 rebounds and 2.2 stea ls per game in his senior season.
He earlier played for Gilas Boys in the FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship in 2022.
Porter, who earlier played for the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, will reunite with fellow Magis Eagles Jared Bahay, M ichael Asoro and Raffy Celis, along with former Gilas youth teammates Mason Amos, Kyle Gamber, Kobe Demisana and Lebron Nieto.
The 6-foot-4 guard Edu, on the other hand, is the younger brother of Gilas big man AJ. He will be arriving in the country in June after graduating from th e Copleston High School in Ipswich.
The Katipu nan-based squad saw key cogs Kai Ballungay, Jared Brown and Gab Gomez depart following the roller-coaster season 86.
Edu and Porter, though, are expected to plug in the holes left by the players.
Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin raved about the two players joining the team.
“We’re really happy with Kristian being part of the program. He will be an impact player very quickly. We need depth in our frontline, and he provides that. He is going to play significant minutes for us. I love his basketball IQ,” Baldwin said.
“Our goal with Kristian is to develop his physical attributes as well as his skills. As an undersized big man, we aim to expand his game and transition him towards the perimeter. He has to work really hard to achieve that, but his basketball IQ and skill level will allow him to be an impact player right away,” he added.
Baldwin said that Edu’s athleticism and size will give Ateneo an edge, but acknowledged that the teenager will have to transition from the England style of basketball to the Philippine way.
“As everyone knows, England’s a soccer-dominated culture. There’s experience and competition he needs to adapt to,” he said.
“He is an outstanding young man from a good family, and we are excited to have him in our program.”
Porter will enroll in the university’s Interdisciplinary Studies program, while Edu will enter the Computer Science program.
The Blue Eagles’ core for next season will include veterans Chris Koon and Sean Quitevis.
MARSEILLE, France – The French leg of the Paris Olympic flame relay began Thursday in the southern port city of Marseille, a day after it arrived from Greece on a 19th century ship.
French former star footballer Basile Boli carried the torch from a majestic cathedral overlooking the city and handed it over to 83-year-old Colette Cataldo.
The event drew dozens of spectators including Marseille Archbishop Jean-marc Aveline.
“That really makes the heart beat fast and it’s fantastic,” said Boli after handing over the torch.
“It’s the Olympic flame, it’s the symbol of sport and of living together”, he said.
It marked the start of a 12,000-kilometer torch relay across France and its far-flung overseas territories.
The opening ceremony for the Olympics on July 26 will take place in boats on the river Seine in a radical departure from past Games which have opened in the main stadium.
Organizers are hoping the first public spectacle of the Games on French soil will help build excitement after a row about the price of Olympics tickets and concerns about security.