UP standout Francis Lopez took a little while before responding to a question, his gaze locked on the bunch of youngsters trying to keep their dribbles tight on a sweltering Saturday afternoon.

“A lot of pressure,” he then blurted out in a chat with the Inquirer at Gatorade Hoops Gym in Mandaluyong City recently. “But you know, camps like these teach you to face that. That’s a challenge they will be dealing with while still young.”

Long before becoming an integral cog in the Fighting Maroons’ roster, Lopez was just like the many kids in that gym that day, trying to make the most out of an opportunity to polish their fundamentals and soak up lessons from whoever popular athlete was present that day.

“Being in camps is why I also had a lot of opportunities for people to see me,” he said on the sidelines of Gatorade’s Fueled Liga, a grassroots program for both basketball and volleyball anchored on proper hydration.

“I think one of the best moments of my younger years is when the people around me saw my potential,” he added.

Lopez was once a prospect from Las Piñas who had gone through various clinics and camps. His biggest break came in the 2018 NCR Palaro which opened a floodgates of offers that eventually brought him to La Salle Greenhills and then Ateneo High School. That journey then led to a Gilas Pilipinas stint under coach Tab Baldwin.

Lopez kept it simple when asked for a piece of advice he wanted to share with the youth of today.

“Reflecting on oneself,” he said. “After the games, I’d still watch the games and study and try to understand other ways to go (about the game). Oh, and consult coaches.”