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UAAP: By joining Bulldogs, Troy Rike wants to sink teeth into Pinoy style of hoops

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ABS-CBN News

<p>Gilas Pilipinas prospect Troy Rike hopes joining National University in the UAAP will help him get used to the Filipino brand of basketball and prepare him for the PBA.</p><p>The Wake Forest University graduate enrolled in NU&#x27;s masters program, which makes him eligible to play in the UAAP for a season.</p><p>“I wanna to get more acclimated to the Filipino style of play. And really just see the environment and the love that Filipinos have for the college game here is something a sound purpose for me to be a part of,” he said in an interview on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines/videos/2251382345101652/">CNN Philippines</a> on Tuesday. </p><p>Rike said he chose to play for the Jamike Jarin-coached squad because it is where he feels at home.</p><p>“The first thing is the team, the management, the coaches, everything really made me feel like home which is really important to me,” said the 6-foot-8 player, whose role as peacemaker in last week&#x27;s Gilas-Australia brawl at Philippine Arena earned international praise for him</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/04/18/gilas-cadet-troy-rike-gets-p200k-for-protecting-aussie-in-melee">ICYMI: Troy Rike gets P200k for protecting Aussie in melee</a></li></ul><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjn4rBXHVr3/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjn4rBXHVr3/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Troy Rike (@troyrike)</a> on <time dateTime="2018-06-05T00:40:38+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Jun 4, 2018 at 5:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><div><script async="" defer="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p><br/>“I&#x27;ve played with some talented players with Wake, with Gilas and they&#x27;ve got talented players in NU as well but they&#x27;re a little bit younger so I feel like I can come in and be a leader and mentor these guys and be in opportunities that I can take more shots than I&#x27;m used to before and help me develop.”</p><p>When asked if he’s going to take the team to the UAAP championship, Rike said that all he can promise is to contribute.</p><p>He added that he doesn’t want to be treated as a “superstar” although he feels flattered to be mentioned with other NU legends such as Danny Ildefonso and Ray Parks Jr.</p><p>“I just want to go there and do my part. I&#x27;m not coming in there to be some sort of a superstar with the mindset of becoming a legend. I want to play as best as I can,” said Rike.</p><p>Best of all, he believes that playing local-college basketball will help him prepare for the bigger league.</p><p>“You see the guys in the PBA come from the NCAA, UAAP. Just even meeting some of the coaches and stuff who are also PBA coaches and playing with some of my team mates (would help),” he said.</p><p>“One day I&#x27;ll play in the PBA, I would say (playing in the UAAP is) a purpose for everything I want.”</p><p>Rike is taking up a masteral in education, which he said is a tribute to his mother. </p><p>&quot;My mom is actually a teacher in Oakland, Calif., so I think this a little nod to her,&quot; he said.</p><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.)</p>

<p>The Gilas Pilipinas prospect hopes joining the Bulldogs in the UAAP will help him get used to the local brand of basketball and prepare him for the PBA.</p>

The Gilas Pilipinas prospect hopes joining the Bulldogs in the UAAP will help him get used to the local brand of basketball and prepare him for the PBA.