By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Thomas Pillado and three of his teammates from Hua Siong College of Iloilo Red Phoenix are heading to Manila as they committed to join the Nazareth School of National University (NU) Bullpups.

According to Red Phoenix head coach Vincent Conlu, Pillado along with Ricky Murillo, Matt Laurence Acosta and Roy Malaga have all decided to continue their high school basketball careers with the Bullpups.

The Bacolod City-native Pillado was a former player of Megumi Academy and Bacolod Tay Tung High School before he decided to transfer to Red Phoenix during the pandemic.

“Thomas is actually gaining interest from a number of Manila-based schools but it was NU who is consistent and serious in talking to us, so we decided to bring him there,” Conlu told Watchmen Daily Journal yesterday.

The Red Phoenix mentor added that NU have invited the four players to come over to Manila for a tryout a few months ago where they participated in scrimmages with some Bullpups players.

“They [the Bullpups] invited the four here in Manila and they joined the NU players sa training. [NU Bulldogs head] coach Jeff [Napa] was impressed by them so pina-commit na agad,” Conlu said.

“We only returned to NU [last Monday, June 26] to formalize everything kasi may nilaruan din kaming National PRISAA and also ‘yung pre-Palarong Pambansa qualifying tournament,” he added.

Conlu, who was also a former varsity player for Far Eastern University Tamaraws in UAAP before, said the four players have two years of high school eligibility before possibly moving up to the NU Bulldogs.

“Puwede pa sila for two years sa high school and I think ‘yun ang plano ng NU sa kanila. It is also an opportunity for them to improve further and be ready for college,” Conlu said.

Pillado, Murillo, Acosta, and Malaga will have their last hurrah with the Red Phoenix when they represent Western Visayas in the 2023 Palarong Panbansa this July in Marikina City./ASC, WDJ