By Norman Lee Benjamin Riego
Jalen Green remains nothing but proud of his Filipino roots
At only 17-years-old, Jalen Green is already being touted as one of the most promising prospects for the US NCAA.
At present, the 6-foot-6 swingman, whose roots can be traced back to Ilocos Sur, is the top-ranked prospect for the 2020 Recruitment Class in the US NCAA. Still, just like he said a year ago, he remains proud of his Filipino heritage.
"It's great to always come out here in the Philippines and represent that Filipino side in me," he said in the first day of the 2019 Chooks-to-Go NBTC Nationals.
That is exactly why he made his way back to the Philippines for another go-round in the national championship for high school. In his first game, he did nothing but continue wowing the crowd.
First, there were warm-up dunks.
Then, there were in-game dunks.
There were long-bombs as well.
And proving he is much more than just a scorer, he also set up his teammates more than a few times.
In the end, the Fil-Am talent only hopes to keep this up.
To do so, he said he wants to be challenged by the best of the best the Philippines has to offer. "Of course, I can't wait to see Kai [Sotto of Ateneo] and Terrence [Fortea of NU]," he said, talking about two of the local talents who may very well push him to the limit.
Green, representing Team USA, also met Sotto and Fortea, wearing the flag for Batang Gilas, in last year's FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina.
That goes not just for the tournament itself, but also for the Slam Dunk Contest where he will be gunning for back-to-back crowns. "Last year, I felt like it was given to me. I hope, this year, there's more," he said with a wry smile.
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