Gilas Pilipinas Youth stalwart Jacob Bayla will don another Pilipinas jersey. Only this time, it will be colored maroon, as he commits to the University of the Philippines.
The 6’5 Fil-Am winger out of Norwalk, California was part of the Batang Gilas team who represented the Philippines in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in 2022.
“Aside from basketball, UP is a great academic school. I always take pride in academics and I know they have the tools to guide me to be successful on and off the court.”
Just last month, Bayla suited up for Fil-Am Nation Select and led the team to their first-ever title in the 2024 Smart-NBTC National Finals.
Bayla expressed his excitement to join UP and is looking forward to being part of the team after his final high school year in the United States.
“UP has a great basketball program. They compete, they play hard, they play at a high level. I believe UP will support and guide me throughout my basketball journey, help me improve my game, and hold me accountable. They’re the school that really believed in me since day one,” he said.
“Aside from basketball, UP is a great academic school. I always take pride in academics and I know they have the tools to guide me to be successful on and off the court,” added Bayla, who will be taking sports science in Diliman.
Office of Athletics and Sports Development (OASD) director Bo Perasol is delighted that Bayla has decided to come and play in the Philippines as he had seen great potential in him.
“Syempre, we are very happy that he has finally decided to come to the Philippines and play for UP. He is a great kid, a very talented player. I was still the coach the first time I saw him play, grabe yong potential nitong batang ‘to,” said former UPMBT head coach Perasol.
“Actually, this has been years in the making. We visited him and his family a few times over the past couple of years in the US. He really wanted to finish his studies first in the States, expand his game and look for opportunities to play there. So when he finally decided to commit and play for UP, we were ecstatic. We are very happy to welcome him to the team and we will help him adjust,” he added.
Bayla will be eligible to play five seasons with the UP Fighting Maroons starting UAAP Season 87 through Season 91.
