Allein Maliksi has yet to get a taste of international action, but many fans believe that his combination of size and shooting make him a perfect fit for the Philippine national men’s basketball team.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes doesn’t dispute that.
“You hit it right in the head, Allein is a great shooter, great athlete,” he said.
But we have to wait for a little while if he’ll live up to the billing.
“But we’ll only really know how good he’s going to be in international competitions when tournament time comes,” Reyes added. “The only gauge is to see that happening.
“But his job is to make the team first. He has to crack the team. Allein doesn’t have a lock at any spot just like anyone else in this team.”
The national team has always had a knockdown shooter in its arsenal, with Allan Caidic, Dondon Hontiveros, Jeff Chan and Jimmy Alapag assuming that role in the past years. And Maliksi has the chance to follow in their footsteps should he make the cut.
The 6’4″ Star Hotshots forward, who replaced Paul Lee in the pool, is up for the challenge.
“Andun yung pressure talaga na kailangan mong mag-level up sa game ng mga ka-position mo na nakasama sa Philippine team before,” Maliksi told InterAksyon.com.
“Kailangan mong i-prepare yung self mo nang maigi. Kailangan mong mag-step up sa challenge. You have to give your best for the opportunity to play for your country. Sacrifice talaga. Buong araw na nga ako nagba-basketball eh.”
