AJ Edu’s role in patrolling the paint during Gilas Pilipinas’ home sweep in the fourth window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers was not lost on coach Tim Cone.
Cone hailed Edu as the ‘unheralded guy out there’ as Gilas was able to come away with crucial victories over Jordan and Iran before packed crowds at the Mall of Asia Arena.
And that is something that Edu appreciates.
‘I just try and do anything I can to help the team win,’ Edu told the Inquirer. ‘Sometimes that’s the dirty work, but yeah, it’s just a privilege to have a role on the team that is really important, so I’m grateful.’
Edu averaged 8.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and two blocks during the window that saw Gilas improve to 4-4 and move a game behind Jordan and Iran, which fell to a tie for third in Group E at 5-3.
Those two wins were important in Gilas’ bid to qualify for next year’s World Cup, with the top three teams in each of Group E and Group F advancing, as well as the best fourth-placer from either side.
‘He was just that guy that we needed, as a wingman to Kai (Sotto) and doing some of the dirty work and creating mismatches over there,’ Cone said.
‘And plus being the backup defender when Kai went for something [and] couldn’t get it. He was there to help clean it up,’ added Cone.
The window allowed Sotto and Edu to once again be on the same side, something that has been a rarity than a regular occurrence with either guy on the mend.
Recent competitions have seen the 6-foot-9 Asian import of the Toyama Grouses in Japan’s B.League being the regular guy in the middle for Gilas, with Sotto having been out of national team duties because of an ACL injury.
But Sotto’s presence may have helped Edu focus on the roles that he does.
Edu showed that against Jordan, collecting rebounds and combining with Sotto to make stops. Against Iran, he had three blocks, including two in the first half that delighted the crowd as Gilas slowly inched its way back from an 18-7 first-quarter deficit.
‘I think he showed a lot of ‘puso,’ a lot of heart. I mean, the fans played a big part in that, just giving us the energy to come back and push,’ Cone said. ‘Of course, we want to improve and not have to come back, but start well. But I’m thankful for the fans and their support.’