Filpino-Japanese cager Matthew Aquino, son of former Philippine Basketball Association and Ginebra star Marlou Aquino, has joined a training camp and selection process for the Japanese national men’s pool for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The training camp got under way last Monday.
An announcement made by the B.League team Shinsu Brave Warriors on Twitter said that Aquino has been called up for the camp with his Brave Warriors teammates Ko Kumagai, Reio Maeda, and Yudai Okada.
“We are pleased to inform you that we have been selected as candidates for the Japanese men’s national team in the first selection camp,” according to the players in a joint statement on Twitter.
This is the second time that Aquino has been invited to a selection process.
As for the first window of the FIBA World Cup 2023 qualifiers, there is no word yet on his status, since Japan, which is bracketed in Group B of the February meet, has yet to release its final roster
The 6’9” Aquino, whose maternal grandmother is Japanese, used to play for the Adamson University Falcons back in college. He saw action in Season 77 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
Then, he played for five games with the National University Bulldogs in Season 80 before his residency was questioned.
Last year, Aquino was signed to play for the Shinshu Brave Warriors of the Japanese B. League as a local player. He was not considered an import due to his Japanese heritage. He averaged 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14 games while playing for Shinshu.
Two months ago, Aquino was named as part of the Japan national team pool for the first window of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers in November 2021.
The 25-year-old Aquino is now going through a training camp at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo from Feb. 7 to 10.
