A young Filipino basketball player is quietly breaking new ground as he seeks to improve his skills, and eventually establish a career, in Europe.

Josh Ples, 16, recently joined the Rising Stars of the Pau Gasol Academy in Barcelona, Spain, hoping to become the first homegrown Filipino to see action in top-flight leagues in Europe. The 6-foot-6 Ples, a sweet-shooting swingman who recently finished Grade 10 at San Beda University in Taytay, said he absorbed all the lessons imparted by the coaches from the Liga ACB and the Euroleague during the camp held at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment de Sant Cugat del Valles in Barcelona from 2 to 8 July.

While most Filipino cagers like Japeth Aguilar, Kobe Paras or Kai Sotto have opted to fly to the United States to see action in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association of the National Basketball Association G League, Ples decided to take a different route, believing that training in Europe will greatly improve his fundamentals and decision-making.

He said no less than the academy's founder in Gasol — a newly-enshrined member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — was in attendance to give some advice during the six-day camp attended by only 36 of the best young cagers from around the world.

"My dad sent my highlights to the Pau Gasol Academy. They liked it and that's how I got invited. I was flabbergasted. The coaches in Barcelona are very good," said Ples in a telephone interview with Daily Tribune. "I'm blessed. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. Pau told me to keep improving and have fun inside and outside the court."

Ples said he fell in love with the European brand of game.

"The European game is a fast game," he said. "I really love European games because it helps me improve myself. In the US, it's much more for show, but in Europe, it's all about improvement."

"I really want to improve my passing skills and my basketball IQ, especially my decision-making."

Ples, who played for two years under Goldwin Monteverde at the Nazareth School of National University from 2019 to 2021, said he looks up to Luka Doncic, the Slovenian playmaker who played for Real Madrid Baloncesto and won the Euroleague Most Valuable Player honors at 18 years old before getting picked by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 Rookie Draft.

"Luka is a smart player. He's shifty and I love him because of his passing and ability to make incredible plays and unorthodox shots," said Ples, admitting that he is using the camp as a springboard to get noticed by ACB coaches in Spain. From Spain, anything would be possible, including the NBA.

"Hopefully. That everything goes well and a move to the NBA could be possible. If Luka can do it, might as well anyone can do it," Ples said.

Ples' father, Joseph, said they treat his son's inclusion in the elite camp as a major accomplishment. After all, making it to the camp would definitely open a lot of doors for Ples.

"I am very proud like any other dad. It's just the beginning of something else. We appreciate that Pau and the academy paid attention to Josh but this is just the beginning," the elder Ples said. "We never settle and we just continue to improve."