A Thomasian is set to represent the Philippines as part of the eGilas Pilipinas in the upcoming eFIBA Season 3 pre-qualifying tournament beginning Oct. 1.

Miguel Carlo Hubillar, a Grade 12 Accountancy and Business Management student who is a member of the UST Teletigers Esports Club (TGR) and Laus Group Esports, will be donning the eGilas Pilipinas jersey for the first time.

Hubillar, 18, will be playing as a point guard for the eGilas Pilipinas squad and aims to improve over the team’s fourth-place finish in last season’s eFIBA world finals in Jönköping, Sweden.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Due to the recently concluded UAAP Esports tournament being a collegiate event, Hubillar was sidelined and instead opted to coach and manage the TGR’s NBA2K team, guiding them to a third-place finish in the inaugural event..

“Having that privilege to represent the school and now to represent the country, of course it's a big honor for me. I feel beyond grateful, and I am indeed beyond blessed,” Hubillar said.

“It’s such a surreal feeling because this is what most people want to achieve and I am already here,” he added.

TGR proved to be an important role model for Hubillar in his upcoming eFIBA stint, crediting the team for his leadership skills and ability to approach and manage people in an efficient way.

“Being the coach and leader [of TGR’s NBA2K team], my leadership skills [improved], I learned to manage people, I learned how to approach them in different ways that were effective and I could apply that in eGilas Pilipinas and in our upcoming games,” Hubillar stated.

Hubillar also expressed excitement about how he can use the communication skills that he gained as a coach and manager to his advantage on the international stage.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Hubillar believes that his participation in high-level tournaments will help him grow as a person.

“The biggest factor that I can grow in myself is my own mind, my decision making, [and] how wise I will be… Because it's a game of making less mistakes in order to win,” he stated.

Hubillar also comments on how he must be able to run plays and be reliable in making critical decisions during crucial moments of a match as a point guard–something that he can practice for future tournaments.

eGilas Pilipinas will be grouped with Macau, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia for the Asian Pre-Qualifiers and will need to finish at least second in their group to book a ticket to the Regional Finals to be held virtually from Oct. 15 to Nov. 7.

eGilas will need to win the regional finals in order for them to qualify for the world finals.

The eFIBA World Finals will take place in the Philippines on Dec. 11 and 12 at the SMX Convention Center, Clark, Pampanga.