Gabriel Apilado Commits to Lyceum, Brings Depth to Pirates

Gabriel Apilado is headed to the NCAA, with Fil-Nation Select confirming that the forward has committed to join the Lyceum Pirates and will have five years of eligibility beginning in NCAA Season 102.

The move gives Lyceum another young piece to develop for the future, while adding a player who recently gained exposure in one of the biggest grassroots stages in Philippine basketball. Apilado was part of Fil-Am Nation Select’s second team for the 2026 Smart-NBTC National Finals, a roster that included several prospects drawing attention from college programs and talent evaluators.

Apilado brings a background shaped by both the United States high school system and the growing Fil-Am pipeline into Philippine college basketball.

At 6-foot-6, he has intriguing size for a frontcourt role as he makes the jump to the collegiate level in the Philippines.

For Lyceum, Apilado’s commitment represents a long-term addition with upside. Players coming in from Fil-Nation Select’s talents tend to arrive with valuable experience, size, and developmental potential. Apilado now enters that next phase with the Pirates, where he will look to turn his NBTC exposure and U.S. high school foundation into an impact at the NCAA level.

With five years of eligibility ahead of him starting in Season 102, Apilado gives Lyceum head coach Jamike Jarin a prospect the program can build with patiently. For now, the Pirates have secured a young forward with recent NBTC experience and a background that makes him one of the more interesting new names to watch moving forward.