FOLLOWING his North Team’s victory in the SM-National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Division One All-Star Game, Head Coach Jong Uichico raved about two of his players in Encho Serrano who ran away with Most Valuable Player honors and Juan Gomez de Liaño.
But Uichico also praised the South Team’s center, Kamaka Hepa, a 6-foot-9 Filipino-American who finished with nine points, nine rebounds, one assist and one block in 19 minutes of play.
“He’s like a young [Dirk] Nowitski,” said the veteran coach of Hepa. “He can run, shoot, dribble the ball, rebound, shoot the three, pass…and he’s what—only 17 years old? He just has to get stronger. But he will do well. Very well.”
Hepa played in his first NBTC tournament where he averaged 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 4.0 blocks per game.
“I feel flattered that he said that. It is nice to be compared to Dirk Nowitski. I try to pattern my game after him. And he plays it the right way,” said Hepa after learning that Uichico made inspiring comments about his game.
Uicho also said Hepa could do well in the country although the Filipino-American he has received a bunch of US NCAA Division One scholarship offers.
“If he has a chance to play, then he should stay in the US. If he is just going to ride the bench then he should come here,” Uichico said. “What will you do with all that is taught to you if you are not playing? You have to play.”
Hepa said while he has US Division One offers, he isn’t closing the door on playing in the Philippines.
Uichico added that he had fun coaching in the high school level again if only for an All-Star Game. But if there is a return to the secondary or tertiary level game, he emphatically said, “I hope not.”