| Alias | "Air Jap" |
|---|---|
| Jersey No. | 35 |
| Position | Power Forward |
| Current Team | Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters |
| Personal Info | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Born | January 25, 1987 Pampanga, Philippines |
| Height | 6 ft. 10 in. |
| Weight | 225 lbs. |
| College | Western Kentucky University |
| Career Highlights | |
| Draft | 1st Overall 2009 by Burger King Whoppers |
| Pro Career | 2009 – present |
| Also played for | Burger King Whoppers (2009) |
Japeth Paul C. Aguilar (born January 25, 1987), better known as Japeth Aguilar born in Pampanga, Philippines, is a Filipino basketball player. He recently played for Smart Gilas, and plays for the Talk N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He first played collegiately for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, but after two seasons, he moved to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers in the Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States.
Aguilar's father, Peter Aguilar, was a former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.
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Aguilar suited up as a college freshman for the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines in 2004. However, his first season stint was cut short due to appendicitis, but still managed to score 13 points, grab 11 rebounds and block 10 shots in 55 minutes of action in 10 games.[1]
On his sophomore year, he bounced back from a disappointing first season as he averaged 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per contest to help lead the Blue Eagles to an 11-5 finish in 2005. He scored in double digits on three occasions, while he just missed a double-double twice after posting nine points and a career-best 10 boards in Ateneo’s season opener as well as 10 points and eight rebounds later in the year in a win over Far Eastern University. Aguilar shot a high 55.4 percent from the field for the season, and he was credited with multiple blocks in 12 of the Blue Eagles’ 16 games — that included a career high of seven as well as two other contest with five or more. He led the University Athletic Association of the Philippines in rejections during his sophomore season, with a total of 48 blocks in 16 games.[2]
Aguilar later transferred to Western Kentucky University, where he saw action with the Hilltoppers mostly as a bench-warmer. He entered the NCAA as a junior (third year) in 2007. During the season he posted 28 points, 18 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 assists in 32 minutes of play before being sidelined by a stress fracture in his left foot. Aguilar saw some minor improvements in his game with a total of 71 minutes on the field and an avg of 5.1 minutes per game he posted 21 points, while grabbing a total of 12 rebounds with 5 blocks, and 2 steals. However, he was inactive for the first half of the season after he suffered another stress fracture.
After his stint with the Hilltoppers, Aguilar returned to the Philippines without much fanfare mostly due to his dismal performance in the United States. Nonetheless, he decided to suit up for the Yeng Guiao-coached Powerade Team Pilipinas that participated in the 2009 Fiba Asia Championship for Men held in Tianjin, China. He was sparingly used by Guiao in that tournament.[3] Nevertheless, the apparent lack of skill in the upcoming draft along with the hype that accompanied him during his tenure in the United States, projected him to be the first pick overall in the 2009 PBA Draft.
As expected, the Burger King Whoppers nabbed Aguilar as its overall No.1 draft pick in the 2009 PBA Draft; however days after the draft, he boldly declared that he would join the Smart Gilas Pilipinas developmental basketball program coached by Serbian Rajko Toroman, a move which caused controversy within the PBA and angst especially by the team that drafted him. Its governor, Lito Alvarez, even went to the extent of banning Aguilar from the league for his refusal to sign with the Whoppers.[4]
An amicable settlement was reached on October 9, 2009, two days before the 35th PBA season. With SBP prexy Manny Pangilinan and executive director Noli Eala intervening and at Alvarez's behest, Aguilar signed the one-year contract with the Whoppers, which included him playing for a few games with them then he would be traded to Talk N Text Tropang Texters (Pangilinan's PBA team) which would then release him to Smart Gilas as he wanted.[5] Alvarez even said that before Aguilar signed their conract, the former already has had the latter's No.18 uniform with the Whoppers made.
Aguilar played his only professional game with the Whoppers against the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the PBA season opener, which ended in a 93-80 loss to the Giants.[6] Immediately after, Aguilar got his wish as the Whoppers traded him to the Tropang Texters in exchange for future draft picks, indirectly through Barako Bull Energy Boosters which acted as the conduit team.[7] As expected, TNT loaned him to Smart Gilas where he will stay there until after the 2012 London Olympics as per his Gilas contract.
Many critics said that his playing style were the same as Yi Jianlian and Chris Bosh
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