FIBA World Cup 2019: 5 Team Pilipinas players to look out for

#2 Christian Jaymar "CJ" Perez

CJ Perez (right) in the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge (Image: FIBA)

CJ Perez is probably one of the surprises for this Gilas squad, as he steps in for injured players Matthew Wright and Marcio Lassiter.

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie is coming from an impressive college career, leading his team, the Lyceum of the Philippines University, to their first-ever Finals appearance in the NCAA since 1987 after sweeping the competition 18-0. Throughout that historic season, he averaged 19.3 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

Although the 6'2 guard and his teammates lost in the Finals, they would eventually exact revenge against San Beda and win the championship in the off-season. Perez and his squad won the trophy in the 2018 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), where the feisty guard was heralded as the MVP.

Perez has proven his basketball prowess as his game translated well from college to the PBA, and now to the international scene. In just his first game in his club team, Columbian Dyip, he scored 26 points, showing no signs of rookie jitters.

The athletic guard has still arguably flown under the radar as he has only been selected to compete internationally once. However, in his only international stint, he averaged 9.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in just 12 minutes of action in the FIBA Asia Challenge.

'Baby Beast', as he has been called, is a feisty defender and an aggressive rim-attacker. He is also a great rebounder and a fearless offensive player. These traits and his athleticism coupled with his mental toughness will more than compensate for whatever experience he may lack.