Though he comes from the highly-respected Wake Forest program, Troy Rike is willing to be patient and learn what the Philippine style of basketball is.
Rike, who arrived in the Philippine last May 28, played his first game for the Gilas Cadets on Monday evening. And it was clear that he has yet acclimate with the physical play that the country is known for.
The 22-year-old forward tallied 11 points and eight rebounds, but was limited to just 16 minutes of action as he struggled with fouls all throughout the game. But Rike didn’t seem to be frustrated with the calls, saying that he’s the one who has to adjust to how the game is called here.
“It’s all different being over here, but I’m just getting adjusted,” shared Rike after the Cadets’ 97-78 win over the Mapua Cardinals. “Most of all, I’m having fun over [here]. I feel like every game I play, I’m gonna get more and more accustomed of the Philippine style of basketball.
“I have to know what’s a foul here is a little different than what’s a foul in the States. So I think the more I play, the better I’ll get used to that and I won’t have that problem anymore.”
Rike might just be what the doctor ordered for the Cadets.
During the first three games of the young squad in the 2018 Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup, presented by Chooks to Go, the team’s coaches have been calling for the team full of alphas to make sacrifices for the sake of the team.
In his first game, Rike willingly dove for loose balls, set hard picks, and boxed out. And it’s something coach Jong Uichico noticed.
“He’s a great system player. He just follows the system,” remarked Uichico.
“He won’t go away from the system, which is also what we need in this team because [the rest] are all high-caliber, supposedly superstar players, so you need someone who’s a system player.”
“I try to do little things — help teammates out, give assist, just run when the coach tells me to run,” Rike added. “I’m not here to get buckets or prove anything.
“I just want the team to win. That’s the most important thing to me.”
