Dominant as they are in the UAAP Season 84, Ateneo de Manila University continues to build for its future, securing the commitment of 18-year-old Fil-Australian Mason Amos.
Amos, a highly-touted Gilas prospect, will be eligible for UAAP Season 86. He will graduate high school this December.
Fresh out of high school, Amos will have the maximum five playing years for Ateneo and will not need to render a one-year residency.
“We’re proud to announce that now that the time is nearing for Mason to finish high school and move on to university. He will be attending the Ateneo and he will become a Blue Eagle,” announced Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin in a Zoom media briefing on Monday night.
And for Amos, committing to the Blue Eagles is sort of a coming back home story.
He has previously committed and practiced for the Blue Eaglets. However, a month before Season 82 when he was supposed to suit up, he went back to Australia after feeling homesick.
“I chose Ateneo because the program is very good. It’s a good program for me to develop,” said the newest Blue Eagle. “Obviously, Coach Tab being an international coach and then being a strong school over the years. I’ve also experienced being there in high school, a very good experience.
“I had a lot of other schools offer me but Ateneo was a place I’ll develop the most and I can really excel with education.”
Able to experience the Philippines for four months when he was with Ateneo High School, choosing it again was not that hard a decision.
“Everyone was welcoming at Ateneo. I’ve known a lot of people there and it was a very good experience. Ateneo for me is very family-oriented, and I like to be loyal to the school as well,” said Amos, who has already played alongside current Ateneo wards Geo Chiu, Josh Lazaro, and Forthsky Padrigao.
Amos is a threat all over the floor, who can burn you with his outside shooting or pound you straight to the cup – the modern-day big man as Baldwin noted.
Defense would be the skill set he’s lacking. Still, the American-Kiwi mentor has no doubt Amos will be able to unlock that in Ateneo.
“He has the ability to shoot the ball, he can put it down, he rebounds the ball well, and certainly we’ll turn him into an enthusiastic defender along the way,” said Baldwin.
The Fil-Aussie was also part of the U16 Gilas Youth pool, slated to play in the 2019 FIBA U-16 Asian Championship before its cancellation due to the pandemic.
Amos, who traces his roots to Pampanga, also got to play competitive ball in the Philippines. He played for New Zealand’s Camp David in the 2019 National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) League.
