By REYNALD MAGALLON
Filipino standout Andy Gemao has officially committed to play for Penn State Nittany Lions men’s basketball in the US NCAA Division I.
No less than the Nittany Lions confirmed the commitment of the 19-year-old prospect through its social media accounts, on Saturday, May 9, just hours after Gemao, himself, confirmed that he had received his first Division I offer from Penn State.
Spending the last three years playing in North America in hopes of turning heads and getting interest from the US NCAA schools, the effort of the 6-foot-1 playmaker had come to fruition as he is set to become the first homegrown talent to play in the Nittany Lions basketball program.
Gemao recently played for Royal Crown Prep in Canada following his stint with the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the NCAA juniors division. He helped the Squires win the Season 98 championship while also earning a Finals MVP honor and a spot in the Mythical Five.
In between he also suited up for the Batang Gilas and Fil-Am Nation Select and recently played for the UP Fighting Maroons in some preseason leagues.
Gemao is now the third international player to commit to Penn State, joining Francois Wibaut and Roko Prkacin as the program hopes to recover from a 3-17 record in the Big Ten Conference.
Gemao follows the footsteps of other Filipino players like Japeth Aguilar, Ray Parks, Kobe Paras and Kai Sotto who tried to strut their wares in the US NCAA.
