Fil-Aussie seeks PBA breakthrough

Two years ago, a 6-2 guard who was born in San Fernando, Pampanga, and raised in Sydney, Australia caught the eye of Arellano University coach Jerry Codiñera during an invitational basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Krenz Carlos, 25, played on the Western Sydney Basketball Association squad called the Amigos in the first Philippines-Australia Goodwill Games where Arellano, Ateneo, San Sebastian, NU and another Australian team Perth also saw action. Against Ateneo, the Amigos lost, 77-73, in overtime with Carlos hitting two free throws to force the extension and finishing with 23 points. Von Pessumal compiled 25 points while Kiefer Ravena had 17 points, 13 boards and eight assists for the Eagles.

“My role was to slow down Kiefer and I thought I was able to keep up with him,” said Carlos. “In the same tournament, I played against NU’s Reden Celda and Gelo Alolino who are now both in the PBA. Coach Jerry offered me a scholarship to enrol at Arellano and play for the varsity. But I had a year left before earning a degree in Exercise Physiology at the University of New South Wales so I decided to finish my studies instead.”

Carlos said he has no regrets in turning down Codiñera’s offer. “I got my degree and it’s something to fall back on if I don’t pursue my basketball dream,” he said. “My father (Nestor) is a civil engineer in Sydney and someday, I’ll probably follow in his footsteps. But for the moment, my goal is to play in the PBA. I feel I can hold my own. I play a simple game. My priority is defense.  It’s something I can contribute to my team. I’m also a shooter. I can come off screens and hit from distance. I’m more of a Corey Webster-type.” Webster is a star guard with the New Zealand national team and scored 23 points, including 3-of-8 triples and 6-of-6 free throws, in the Kiwis’ 89-80 win over Gilas at the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Manila last year.

Carlos, who moved to Australia when he was three with his parents, applied for the PBA D-League draft last year and was picked on the ninth round by Cignal, the 60th choice of 74.  “I didn’t make the lineup because Cignal was more like a San Beda team,” he said. “I tried out for Jose Rizal, too.  I couldn’t get a break because both teams prioritized their college players. I’ll just be patient. I know my time will come. I gained a lot of experience playing for the Penrith Panthers in the semi-pro Waratah League which is only a level below the NBL in Australia. The league brought together free agents, imports, returning Australian players from US colleges and NBL veterans. I played two years for the Panthers and that experience will go a long way in the PBA. ”

Carlos said he’s hoping to be another Bradwyn Guinto. “There are solid Filipino players in Australia whom I think could make it in the PBA,” he said. “Take Bradwyn, for instance. He was born in Bataan then moved to Melbourne. Bradwyn also played in the Goodwill Games. He opted to go to college in the Philippines and played for San Sebastian. Now, he’s in the PBA and the Gilas pool, too. Another Filipino from Australia is Josan Nimes who was in Sydney before going to the US and breaking into the PBA. If I’m given the chance, I want to make a good impression in the PBA so more Fil-Australians can join the league.”

Carlos said on offense, his strengths are his versatility, ball-handling ability, scoring and passing. “Teams can place me in multiple positions within their offense,” he said. “I can bring the ball up the floor and attack the basket. I score efficiently without any wasted energy and I always look to hit the roller off the screen. If the post player has position, I’ll feed him.”

On defense, Carlos said he can bird-dog all positions, has the ability to play the roamer off the ball and uses his length to make deflections and gather rebounds over taller opponents. “I play with a lot of toughness,” he said. “I hustle, play hard on every play always with energy which is the Australian way. I’m also a good communicator.”

Carlos is currently staying in San Simon, Pampanga, with his mother Tess and relatives. He’s closely monitoring developments in the PBA and the PBA D-League. Carlos said even if he doesn’t crack the PBA D-League, he’ll apply for the PBA draft this year. Who knows? Maybe, a PBA scout might have seen the same thing in Carlos that led Codiñera to make that scholarship offer two years ago. Interested coaches may contact Carlos at his email address [email protected].