08/12/2016
David Hein's Eye on the Future
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Panopio hoping to take Roman route to Gilas

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - The old proverb goes: All roads lead to Rome. Well, Dalph Panopio's path to the future starts in the Italian capital, and the youngster hopes it ends with a spot in the Philippines senior national team.

Dalph's road - that's just too fantastic of a name not to call him by his first name - is definitely not a common one for a basketball player of Filipino descent.

The 16-year-old was born in Rome to a Philippines father from Batangas and mother from Mindoro. He is playing at the successful Stellazzurra Basketball Academy in Rome, where he joined at the minibasket level when he was 6 years old. Panopio entered the academy when he was 13 and helped the organisation to the Italian U15 title in 2015.

Stellazzurra sports director Giacomo Rossi is very excited about the 1.83m point guard, who he thinks will still grow two or three centimeters.

"I think that he can play in the Philippines senior national team," Rossi said. "But I'm not sure that he can have a clutch impact. He can help the team, but he's not the kind of player who will score 30 points. He is a point guard."

Panopio himself dreams of lining up for Gilas.

"I hope to receive a call from the Philippines national team one day. Me and my family would love that more than anything," said the 2000-born playmaker.

Panopio's other dream is to become a professional basketball player.

"Right now, Stellazzurra is the best place, but I know that I probably will need to move on from here," he said.

I hope to receive a call from the Philippines national team one day. Me and my family would love that more than anything." - Panopio

Rossi said Panopio has received numerous offers from Filipino high schools but the youngster is clear in his mind: "I want to finish the Italian school."

And after that, Panopio could see himself playing collegiately in the United States.

"College has a lot of great things. I have a lot of teammates that went there from the academy," he said, referring to ex-Stellazzurra players in colleges or high schools in the United States such as Federico Mussini, Amar Alibegovic, Kristinn Palsson, Scott Ulaneo and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

"Our goal for him is to receive an NCAA college scholarship. He is young but this season he will not only play for the U18 team but also the U20 team and even some games with the first team (in the third Italian division Serie B) to give him some exposure," Rossi said.

The Stellazzurra boss also believes Panopio can help the academy by creating a strong link to the Philippines to recruit for the academy.

I think that he can play in the Philippines senior national team." - Rossi about Panopio

"Their basketball is religion. We love their passion for the game," Rossi said of the Filipinos and their love for basketball. "They have very good athletes and I'm surprised that nobody has gone there to recruit, not only in youth categories but also at the senior level. Their senior league is great. We are open and ready to create a great collaboration with the federation to help develop their players."

Rossi last season brought in Indian youngster Harshwardhan Tomar in hopes of expanding his academy's reach beyond Europe. And just like that, he knows it’s not easy to start such a connection.

"We are two different cultures, but I think that is the best way to create something special," he said. "I'm sure that with our work in coordination with the federation, we can develop 4-5 players for the top level – and I mean the NBA too. We found some prospects there (in Philippines), absolutely amazing."

For now Rossi and Stellazzurra are concentrating on getting Panopio ready for the next level.

#nevergiveup #wecandoit 🏀💯❗

Ein von Dalph Panopio 🏀❤ (@official_dalph) gepostetes Foto am

Rossi believes Dalph will be different than other Filipino point guards, especially with a better body, which he does not have just yet but will.

"His skills are so good, dribbling and shooting," Rossi said.

The Stellazzurra leader is hoping that Panopio can start working out with the Filipino youth national team ranks in the summer, mentioning the U18 group. The Rome-born playmaker would then start getting into the mix for the team that will compete at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship 2018 and try to get the country to the FIBA U19 World Championship 2019 – which would be the first time the Filipinos play in that tournament since the inaugural competition in 1979.

If that happens and Dalph Panopio is part of the team, you could definitely say Philippines' road to the U19 Worlds went through Rome.

David Hein

FIBA

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FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

David Hein

David Hein

Walk into the media tribune of any major basketball event and there's a good chance you will come across David Hein. Having covered dozens of FIBA events, including numerous women's and youth events, there are few players Dave doesn't know about, and few players who don't know him. His sporting curiosity means he is always looking to unearth something new and a little bit special. David Hein's Eye on the Future is a weekly column digging out the freshest basketball talent worldwide and assessing what the basketball landscape will look like a couple of years down the line.