Never in Mason Amos’ wildest dreams he would ever play in the Southeast Asian Games, let alone take home the gold.
But that is what happened during the 32nd edition of the regional meet that culminated in Gilas Pilipinas getting a vengeful win over Cambodia last Tuesday.
Amos, the youngest member of the team at 18, feels glad to be part of the ‘redeem team’, saying that it was a dream come true.
(C) PSC-POC Media Group
“Well, being at such a young age, who would have ever thought it would happen? But to be able to have an opportunity to play in the SEA Games and against other countries is a dream come true,” expressed Amos, who averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in four games played in the tournament.
“To be able to win the gold medal, words can’t describe how it feels. I never expected to be in this situation. Not even starting with the UAAP and being a SEA Games gold medalist already is already a blessing.”
What Amos relishes more is the bond he was able to make with Justin Brownlee, one of the all-time best imports to ever grace the Philippine Basketball Association.
According to the Fil-Australian scorer, Brownlee took him under his wing all throughout the trip to Cambodia.
And he will treasure everything he learned from the naturalized Filipino moving forward.
(C) POC-PSC Media Group
“Justin Brownlee was really my mentor, especially in SEA Games,” said Amos during the 2023 SLAM Rising Stars. “He always tells me to keep my head up even if I make a mistake.
“He is really my idol. I know for a fact he is a GOAT. The way he plays is incredible and no one is like him.”
On Wednesday, he will play his first game with Ateneo de Manila University as a collegiate student-athlete in the Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup.
Amos is just glad to have a wealth of experience under his belt before he dons the Ateneo jersey.
“My experiences with Gilas will come a long way when I play in the UAAP. The type of defenses and physicality was different,” said Amos, who also played two games during the World Cup Qualifiers.
“It was a challenge to go up guys bigger and more athletic than me and I’ll bring that to Ateneo.”
