Currently at the top of his class in the United States, Filipino-American Jalen Green is making heads turn in the ongoing 2018 Exped SM-NBTC national finals.
Green, a sophomore for San Joaquin Memorial High School, is ranked first by ESPN for the class of 2020.
In the first day of the knockout matches of NBTC on Monday, the shooting guard put up 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds in Filam Sports USA's dominating 92-59 win over De La Salle Lipa. He paraded his seemingly unparalleled athleticism and ferocity on the hardwood with his high-leaping plays and incredible shot-making ability.
For Green, who has Filipino blood from his mother's side, he is simply happy to be in the Philippines for the very first time.
"I just look at it as a good experience to represent the Philippines," shared Green. "My family is Filipino so to come back here and represent them, it's a good experience so like it."
Parents Marcus and Brie Green were in attendance for their son's game against Lipa and as expected, they couldn't be happier for him.
"So far, he likes it. We're enjoying ourselves," said Green's dad Marcus. "We kinda knew it for a while but we weren't sure because we were in the state playoffs. We lost and then we said we were coming here. It was last minute. It was kind of surprising to be on a flight across the world to play basketball. It's pretty exciting."
"My grandfather on my dad's side is the Filipino," shared his mother Brie. "It's exciting. I love it here. I've been wanting to comeback for so long. It's just amazing to be here."
Green started out playing basketball in the third grade and kept working on his craft after making the varsity team. Currently listed at 6-foot-6, the 16-year-old shooting guard has already been compared to Kobe Bryant. Green is flattered to be compared to the Lakers legend, but admits he tries to emulate Golden State's Kevin Durant.
"He can shoot, dribble, get to the rim, everything. He's one of the greatest in the game right now, including LeBron (James)," he said with excitement. "That's why Kevin Durant is my role model."
In the NBA, Durant is a freakish athlete with an uncanny set of skills. He is a unique player with a deadly combination of length and speed. For Green's parents, they dream that their son can someday be a one-of-a-kind superstar. It was no wonder that when their son was out flying by opponents, they wore matching shirts with a unicorn design.
"Being one of the top kids in the country, it's good, but he also knows he has to work hard," Marcus pointed out "He knows he has a long way to go before he thinks he's the best."
With Green gaining a ton of attention while playing in the NBTC, the big question on everyone's mind is whether or not he will be eligible to play for Gilas Pilipinas.
Green has already played for Team USA in a FIBA tournament thus binding him with his home country. If Green does decide to suit up for the Philippines, he will have to be released by USA Basketball. A player can still represent another country as long as he will be allowed by the previous country he served. For instance, former NBA player Charlie Villanueva represented the United States back in 2004 before competing for Dominican Republic in 2010.
"There's always an opportunity to come back here. Always," parted Green when asked about whether he would be interested for Gilas but admits that his focus is getting an opportunity to play in the NBA.
For now, Green is simply concerned to refine his game and prove that is deserving of all the attention he is getting.
"It's great, it's an opportunity to tell people what I'm made of," he humbly said. "People have been talking behind my back so I gotta go out there and prove something every time I step on the court."
Green and the rest of Filam Sports USA will face the University of Visayas in their next game in the 2018 Exped SM-NBTC National Finals.
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