Fil-Aussies Abadam, Wilson Look to Make PH College Impact

For years, collegiate teams in the Philippines has looked outward to strengthen its basketball scene.

The pipeline has stretched from the United States to Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, where young Filipino-heritage players have grown up in different systems but ultimately find a pull toward the game in our part of the globe.

Now, two Australia-based prospects, Troy Abadam and Jett Wilson, are preparing for their own entry into that space.

Their paths are not the same. Abadam comes from Sydney, with ties to Bankstown Bruins, Homegrown Basketball Australia, and the Filipino-Australian circuit. Wilson comes from the Gold Coast, where he built his game through Queensland programs, Gold Coast basketball and Indigenous Basketball Australia events. But they are connected by the same larger question: how does a player raised abroad translate his background into the pressure, speed and, pressure of Philippine college basketball?

For Abadam, that question starts close to home.

His older brother, two-time champion Earl Jared Abadam, has already gone through the adjustment as a Fil-Aussie player with De La Salle. Troy has watched the process from near enough to understand that moving to the Philippines is not just about basketball opportunity. It is also about growth, patience, and identity.

“One of my favourite pieces of advice I got from my brother is, ‘It’s not about the destination, but about the journey and the person you become along the way,’” Troy said in an exclusive interview with ALL-STAR Magazine.

He has seen the physical work required, the mental discipline needed, and the way Earl approached the game daily. But what stuck with him most was not a workout plan or a scouting report. It was the reminder to enjoy the process, from training sessions to games, to the relationships built along the way.

That matters because Abadam will inevitably be introduced to many fans as Earl’s brother.

He does not run from that. In fact, he sees it as part of the reason he is here.

“I honestly don’t think it’s a bad thing I get recognized as Earl’s brother,” Troy said. “He was one of the biggest reasons why I started this path in the first place.”

Still, he wants his own story to be more than a family footnote. His goal is to become an example for players who may feel their window is closing before it has truly opened.

“I want my identity to be an inspiration to players that still have basketball dreams in their heart,” he said, “that it’s never too late to pursue those dreams.”

His basketball education in Australia gives him a foundation that could fit well in the Philippines. Abadam describes the Australian game as team-oriented, built on ball movement and connectivity. He sees Philippine college basketball as more technical, more complex, and played with a different intensity. Many recruits into the local college scene arrive with physical tools, but the players who last usually learn how to blend into systems, handle scouting, and survive emotional swings.

Abadam believes his background can help him do that.

Wilson, meanwhile, brings a different profile.

He is younger, recently turned 18, and describes himself as an attack-first guard with long arms and a natural edge. He has played against older and stronger competition, which he says helped him adjust early to physicality. The crowds, he insists, will not shake him.

“Once I’m in the game, it’s a different mindset and everything just drowns out,” Wilson said.

That mentality will be tested in the Philippines, where college basketball can feel much bigger than its level suggests. Games are televised, arenas get loud, and social media can turn a strong performance or a rough night into a public conversation within heartbeats. For a young player still forming his identity, that environment can either speed up development or expose gaps.

Wilson understands the opportunity in front of him. His time in Gold Coast and Queensland programs helped shape him physically and mentally. He credits the people around him for turning him into the player he is now. But he also knows this next move is about independence.

“I’m excited about being able to live by myself and learn new things about myself,” Wilson said. “I have lots of time to become bigger, better, and stronger.”

He has also recently signed with Anthony Brodett’s Phenom Sports Management, a move he believes can help guide his preparation and create opportunities on and off the floor. For a young guard trying to enter a crowded Philippine college market, structure matters. So does timing.

The Philippine collegiate scene is no longer simply looking for players with foreign passports and good measurements. Programs want players who can adjust quickly, handle expectations, and fit in a locker room. They want maturity, versatility, and buy-in.

That is where both players are trying to make their case.

Abadam brings a sense of perspective, shaped by family and the Sydney basketball community. Wilson brings youth, confidence, and a willingness to grow. Neither arrives as a finished product. That may be the point.

The move to Philippine college basketball is not just the next stop. It is the beginning of the test.