Samuel Abu Hijleh Has The Makings of a Future Star

According to Rappler, Sameul Abu Hijleh has the makings of a future star.

Sam Abu Hijleh stands at 6-foot-3 and has the body of a tank. With two years to go in his high school hoops career, he has enough time to develop his college-ready physique even further along with his already-polished skill-set - factors which make him one of the most exciting prospects for the future in Philippine basketball.

The 17-year-old Fil-Jordanian just played a major role for the San Beda Red Cubs in the recent NCAA junior’s basketball season where they won a 7th consecutive championship. With his ability to score in the low-post, quality defense, and leadership, he was considered one of the star players of the team and entire league.

His play earned him slots in the 2016 NBTC All-Star Game and SLAM Rising Stars Challenge - contests featuring the premier high school basketball players in the country today. Presently, he’s the team captain of Calabarzon in the 2016 Palarong Pambansa secondary tournament, where the San Beda-laden cast is set to play in the finals on Saturday, April 16 against Central Luzon region.

Getting to the championship game was no easy task. Calabarzon had to defeat rival NCR in the semifinals on Friday, 79-68, in a game that included some history between both sides. During the 2015 Palarong Pambansa, it was NCR which eliminated Calabarzon, disallowing the latter from repeating as champions. A year later, Abu Hijleh and company have returned the favor.

“Syempre nanduon na rin yung redemption namin,” he told Rappler after the physical game which included shoving, trash-talking, and verbal tirades from both crowds at the Ibalong Center of Recreation in Albay. The matchup was so heated than when an NCR player fell to the floor and clutched his knee late, the injury looking serious, a spectator from the other side screamed: “Arte (acting)!”

“Gustong gusto na din namin sila talunin since sila yung tumalo saamin last year, and gusto namin ipakita sa Calabarzon and sa buong Philippines actually na kaya namin mag champion dito,” he said.

(We really wanted to beat them because they were the ones who eliminated us last year, and we wanted to show to Calabarzon and the entire Philippines that we’re capable of winning the championship here.)

Abu Hijleh’s performance last NCAA season earned him a selection in the league’s Mythical Five, but what may be more impressive than his in-game abilities is his leadership trait, which is why Red Cubs/Calabarzon head coach JB Sison made him team captain.

During a heated moment in the fourth quarter of the game against NCR after a hard foul, players from both sides had a display of masculinity by getting up on each other’s faces. But before anything serious could escalate, Abu Hijleh pulled his teammates back and pushed them to the sidelines, not allowing any physical commotion to take place.

“Siguro naman ganon gagawin nang lahat nag captain,” he said about the incident. “Kasi kailangan niya i-control yung teammates niya. Siguro since ako yung captain, ako yung kailangan maging steady sa team.”

(I guess that’s what captains typically do. Because he needs to control his teammates. Since I'm the captain, I need to be the one to steady the team.)

“Sanay na kami sa ganon,” he talked about his team’s experience in heated situations. “Parang control nalang, composure, tapos iniisip na rin namin mag fi-finals kami, so kailangan kumpleto kami, wala ma-thrown out.”

(We’re used to those situations. We just need to be in control, have composure, and realize we’re going to be in the finals, so we need to be complete and no one gets thrown out.)

That kind of mentality is an example of why both San Beda’s coach and his players have trusted Abu Hijleh. The old saying “Don’t talk about it; be about it,” applies to his actions in and out of the court.

“Alam naman namin hard-worker siya,” Sison said about his big man. “Kahit siya yung captain ball namin, he’s isa sa mga talagang nag bibigay nang effort sa team. He leads by example.”

(We know he’s a hard worker. That’s why he’s our captain ball. He’s one of those who really gives effort for the team. He leads by example.)

...

Read more: www.rappler.com.