Gilas mainstays June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar, the only remnants of the 2014 team that played in the FIBA World Cup in Seville, has given the stamp of approval on the newest member of the pool.

Filipino-Cypriot big man AJ Edu, still being bothered by an ankle injury, has been given the go-signal to participate in live drills in preparation for his stint with Gilas Pilipinas against the national teams of Iran, Senegal and Lebanon in a low-key tournament in China next month.

"He's got tremendous potential," Fajardo told Daily Tribune.

"Unfortunately, he cannot join in the tune up games because he's injured. But he never missed a practice and we saw his great potential," said the 6-10 Fajardo.

Aguilar, also a towering member of Gilas at 6-9, could only agree.

"He's very promising," said Aguilar. "He's the future of Philippine basketball. All he needs to do now is be patient. The most important thing for him is his health condition. He needs to recover."

"He's skilled, he's very agile for his size. We just need to be patient with him," he added.

A versatile, athletic big man, the 6-10 Edu was undergoing training in Brisbane, Australia, right before he joined the Gilas training camp in Laguna, Estonia and Lithuania.

His role was reduced to watching and learning but was allowed to take part in some workouts to help him recover quickly from his injured ankle.

If Edu makes heads turn in China, he might end up getting named to the final roster for the FIBA World Cup slated 25 August to 10 September.

But Edu is taking it nice and slow as he looks forward to the 2 to 6 cagefest in China.

"It's been hard watching on the sidelines. I really wanted to get out there. Now, I'm really thankful to be in this position (participating in live drills and given clearance to play)," Edu said.

"I'm finally competing now. I'm just really excited, but I know I have a lot of catching up to do."

Seeing Fajardo and Aguilar do their thing during training only makes Edu eager to learn.

"This could be their third World Cup, so that's crazy. It goes to show how great players they are. They just have so much experience. Just watching them on a daily basis, there's so much I can soak in terms of knowledge. I'm just trying to be a sponge."