ATENEO has secured the commitments of two promising young prospects Femi Edu and Kristian Porter. Both as the Blue Eagles are seeking to rebound from last season’s fourth place finish in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.

Edu, the 18-year-old the younger brother of Gilas Pilipinas Men pool member AJ, stands at 6-foot-4, and plays guard.

Meanwhile, Kristian, also 18, is the younger brother of former Blue Eagle Kris and is a 6-foot-5 forward.

Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin is excited to have both Edu and Porter in his pool as they bring size to the Blue Eagles, who lost Kai Ballungay after Season 86.

“Obviously, we are excited. He’s a good young player, an excellent athlete with good size. The challenge he probably needs to overcome as quickly as possible is transitioning from the England-style of basketball to ours. As everyone knows, England’s a soccer-dominated culture. There’s experience and competition he needs to adapt to,” Baldwin said about Edu.

“He is an outstanding young man from a good family, and we are excited to have him in our program.”

Edu will arrive in the country late next month after graduating from Copleston High School in Ipswich.

On the other hand, Baldwin sees Porter as someone who will deliver immediate impact to Ateneo.

Porter is a two-time UAAP high school boys’ basketball Mythical Team member and is now suiting up for the Blue Eagles in a preseason league.

“We’re really happy with Kristian being part of the program. He will be an impact player very quickly,” Baldwin said. “We need depth in our frontline, and he provides that. He is going to play significant minutes for us. I love his basketball IQ.

“Our goal with Kristian is to develop his physical attributes as well as his skills. As an undersized big man, we aim to expand his game and transition him towards the perimeter. He has to work really hard to achieve that, but his basketball IQ and skill level will allow him to be an impact player right away.”

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado