Luke Rose hopes young basketball career blossoms further after explosive Palaro showing

ILOCOS NORTE - Much like a blooming rose, Western Visayas rising guard Luke Rose turned heads in his explosive showing at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa secondary boys basketball. 

And he is hoping his Palaro debut campaign is enough to attract attention from scouts all over the country as he looks to gain more experience in his young hoops career.

"Sobrang laki po (para sa career ko itong Palarong Pambansa) kasi dati po pangarap ko lang po ito tapos nag-trabaho lang po nang maigi para makuha ko po itong pangarap ‘to," Rose told GMA News Online. 

"Dream ko po talaga itong Palaro and sana po makabalik pa kami ulit. Sana rin po makatulong sa career ko po ito."

The 15-year-old court general was a revelation for Western Visayas, which pulled off a pair of upset victories on the way to setting up a finals date with Davao region. 

Rose led Iloilo's comeback victory over Region IV-A (CALABARZON), erasing an 18-point deficit with the shifty guard scoring 16 points, including a buzzer-beating triple to end the third period, in their 19-15 closing run to eke out a tight 80-73 victory in the semifinals. 

Before that, Rose also played a key role in their 76-67 stunning victory over defending champion NCR in the quarterfinals. 

Western Visayas, represented by St. Robert's International College, however, fell to Davao in the finals after the latter staged a second half surge en route to a 67-51 blowout. 

Still, Rose was proud of how his team put together a fight against the Eagles, stressing they will come back stronger next year. 

"Ang masasabi ko lang po ay sobrang proud ako sa team namin kasi ginawa naman po namin ‘yung best namin, ‘yun nga lang hindi namin nakuha ‘yung championship. Pero next year, babawi po kami," he said. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News