Baser C. Amer (born September 29, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the

Blackwater Bossing The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA). He plays both the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

and

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

positions. He earned the moniker, The Hammer during his collegiate stint, and is still his moniker to this day. He played as a point guard for the San Beda University Red Lions (then San Beda College) before being selected seventh overall in the 2015 PBA draft by

Meralco The Manila Electric Company (), also known as Meralco (, ), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 22 cities and 89 munic ...

. During his playing career with the

San Beda Red Cubs The San Beda Red Lions is the collegiate varsity basketball team of the San Beda University that plays in the NCAA. The juniors basketball team is called the Red Cubs of San Beda University–Rizal, while the women's varsity basketball team is ...

, was a two-time NCAA Juniors' Basketball champion and was named 2009 NCAA Juniors' Rookie of the Year and 2010 NCAA Juniors' Finals Most Valuable Player. During his playing career with the Red Lions, he was a four-time NCAA Seniors' Basketball champion, and won the 2012 NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player award.

Early life

Amer was born to a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

family in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...

. He started playing basketball at age five, as his father wanted him to be a professional basketball player. At an early age, he was trained to play basketball against his father and brother, both of whom stand between 5'8" to 5'10". He idolized

Jimmy Alapag Jim Olmedo Alapag (born December 30, 1977) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player. He serves as an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He is nicknamed "The Mighty Mouse" and "The Captain". Early life ...

even when he was a kid.

High school career

Amer played for the Holy Child College of Davao Reds from 2006 to 2009. During his time in Davao City, he was initially discovered by then-national youth head coach

Eric Altamirano Frederick "Eric" Altamirano (born August 8, 1966 in Davao City) is a former Filipino basketball player and he formerly the assistant coach of the Alaska Aces. In the present he is the commissioner of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 He was part of the ...

, who at that time, put up the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) and held open tryouts. He joined the tryouts and was ranked Top 20 out of the pool of 150 players. He was also invited to the Nike Elite Camp where he was named to the Mythical Five and MVP. Then-San Beda Red Cub coach Ato Badolato discovered him in the Nike Camp and recruited him to play and study at San Beda. He had to take a one-year residency period under NCAA rules before finally suiting up for the Red Cubs in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. In his rookie year, he steered the Red Cubs to their seventeenth NCAA Juniors title, their last one under coach Badolato. The following year, he won the Juniors season MVP while leading the Cubs to another title in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 11.7 assists per game in his final year with the Cubs.

College career

Amer, now a highly sought-after prospect, was heavily recruited by several schools, but chose to stay at San Beda. Despite playing as backup point guard in his rookie year, he led the Lions in assists, with 4.5 per game average. He also helped the Red Lions to win another title in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and was awarded the Finals MVP despite coming off the bench. Upon the graduation of

Anjo Caram Antonio Jose Hechanova Caram (born January 14, 1991) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted in the third round (26th overall) in the 2013 PBA draft by th ...

, he took the starting point guard slot and led the Lions to two more titles in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

where thanks to the distribution of Amer, who already had an incredible 11 assists at the half, SBC slowly started to turn the tide of the ball game in their favor and went ahead by eight, 22-14, at the end of the first period in the pivotal Game 2. He ended his college career failing to secure the six-peat for San Beda whilst being out of action for three months prior during the season after dislocating his right shoulder in a game against Letran. He reinjured his shoulder after hacking Letran guard Mark Cruz in the second quarter, which resulted to an unsportsmanlike foul whistled at him. Although he was unable to attain the ideal end to his college career, Baser left the ivory-clad walls of San Beda University (then San Beda College) with a wealth of experience and a grateful heart. Despite the losing the coveted prize to Letran, he had solid numbers for the Jamike Jarin-mentored squadron as he finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and one steal. He also played a pivotal factor in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter as he and fellow graduating Bedan Ola Adeogun sparked an 8-0 run to forge an overtime. Even though the Red Lions fell short in the 5-minute extension period, Amer stressed that he has no regrets for choosing San Beda and added that he will always be proud to be part of the Bedan community. “We may not be able to get the championship, but I have no regrets playing for San Beda,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “My journey as a Red Lion ends, but I will always be a proud Bedan.”

College statistics

, - , align="left" style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2011-12 † , align="left" , , 18 , , 23.79 , , .372 , , TBC , , TBC , , 4.8 , , 5.7 , , 1.42 , , 0 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2012-13 † , align="left" , , 18 , , 26.9 , , .364 , , TBC , , TBC , , 5 , , 6.16 , , 1 , , 0 , , 9.89 , - , align="left" style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2013-14 † , align="left" , , 17 , , 30.61 , , .363 , , TBC , , TBC , , 4.3 , , 8.2 , , 2.6 , , 0.2 , , 14.3 , - , align="left" style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2014-15 † , align="left" , , 16 , , 33.81 , , .387 , , TBC , , TBC , , 5.2 , , 8.7 , , 3 , , 0.1 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 2015-16 , align="left" , , 9 , , 28.67 , , .412 , , .491 , , .76 , , 4.9 , , 7.25 , , 2.3 , , 0 , , 10.2

Amateur career

Amer joined the then-D-League powerhouse NLEX Road Warriors in 2012, where he was a part of three championship teams. When NLEX took the jump to the pros in 2014, he was signed by the

Hapee Fresh Fighters The Hapee Fresh Fighters was a basketball team owned by Lamoiyan Corporation that played in the PBA Developmental League (PBA D-League). The franchise began in the Philippine Basketball League from 1994 until the league became dormant in 2010. Th ...

and played alongside fellow college standouts and future draft batchmates

Chris Newsome Christopher Elijah Duque Newsome (born July 25, 1990) is a Filipino American professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Early life and high school career Newsome was born in San Jose, Ca ...

Troy Rosario Jeth Troy Utanes Rosario (born January 20, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). College and amateur career Rosario played for two years at Technological I ...

, Earl Scottie Thompson and

Garvo Lanete Garvo A. Lanete (born February 13, 1989) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He previously played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for three teams. College career Lanete studied and played with San Beda Red Lion ...

Professional career

Amer was picked seventh overall by the

Meralco Bolts The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of three ...

of the

in the 2015 PBA draft. On October 30, 2015, it was announced by his agent, Charlie Dy via his Instagram account that Amer already signed his rookie deal with Meralco. In his PBA debut on November 4, 2015, went scoreless after missing all his four shots, adding just one assist and one board against two turnovers in 14 minutes of action. In his third game with the Bolts, he was thrust into the starting lineup, scoring 9 points (on 57% FG shooting), 3 rebounds, 6 assists in 30:55 minutes of action, in a losing effort against Barako Bull on November 15, 2015. He was selected for both the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

PBA All-Star Games, both playing for the Mindanao All-Stars. In 2018, Baser was named the All-Star Game MVP after delivering 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in the win. On February 4, 2021, Amer, along with

Bryan Faundo Bryan C. Faundo (born February 18, 1984) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Boracay Islanders of the Pilipinas Super League. College career In the NCAA, he was one of the key players for the Letran Knights that helped the tea ...

, was traded to the

for

Mac Belo Rey Mark G. "Mac" Belo (born February 12, 1993) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Early life Hailing from Midsayap, Cotabato, Belo was born on February 12, 1993. ...

. On December 30, 2021, Amer signed a one-year contract extension with the Bossing. He signed another one-year contract extension with the team on December 29, 2022.

PBA career statistics

''As of the end of 2022–23 season''

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 46 , , 17.9 , , .378 , , .264 , , .809 , , 1.7 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 5.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 47 , , 29.1 , , .443 , , .397 , , .857 , , 3.6 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .0 , , 12.2 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 41 , , 30.2 , , .429 , , .404 , , .776 , , 4.0 , , 4.4 , , .9 , , .1 , , 12.4 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 44 , , 28.2 , , .391 , , .374 , , .875 , , 3.1 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 12.1 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 18 , , 23.7 , , .366 , , .340 , , .750 , , 2.8 , , 2.7 , , .4 , , .0 , , 9.0 , - , align=left , , align=left , Blackwater , 18 , , 23.0 , , .296 , , .262 , , .762 , , 2.4 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.1 , - , align=left , , align=left , Blackwater , 31 , , 24.8 , , .414 , , .327 , , .813 , , 1.9 , , 2.9 , , .5 , , .0 , , 10.9 , -class="sortbottom" , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 245 , , 25.6 , , .403 , , .354 , , .823 , , 2.9 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 10.2

International career

Amer was part of the 12-man Sinag Pilipinas lineup that competed in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games basketball tournament held in Singapore, where they won the gold medal and the Gilas Cadets lineup that is currently competing in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games basketball tournament held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was included in the 15-man Gilas Pilipinas lineup for the third window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. He was not selected to play in their first game against Chinese Taipei men's national basketball team. But, along with forward

Carl Bryan Cruz Carl Bryan Villegas Cruz (born August 21, 1991), also known by his initials CBC, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Professional career Cruz was selected in the ...

, he completed for the national team against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, replacing Jio Jalalon and Allein Maliksi in. In his first game for the Gilas Pilipinas, nine players from the Philippines and four players from Australia were ejected during the 4:02 mark of the third quarter due to being involved in the free-for-all. Only three players, among of which was Amer, remained. After two of the three remaining players fouled out, Philippines lost the game against Australia by default with 1:57 left in the third quarter. Amer was the last man standing, with 3 points in 2 minutes.

International statistics

, - , align="left" ,

2017 Southeast Asian Games Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanes ...

, align="left" , , 4 , , 21.25 , , .329 , , .207 , , .916 , , 3 , , 5 , , 0.5 , , 0.25 , , 7 , - , align="left" , 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers , align="left" , , 1 , , 2.04 , , .500 , , .500 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 3

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amer, Baser 1992 births Living people Basketball players from Davao City Blackwater Bossing players Competitors at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games Competitors at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games Filipino men's basketball players Filipino Muslims Meralco Bolts draft picks Meralco Bolts players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Point guards San Beda Red Lions basketball players Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Southeast Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Southeast Asian Games medalists in basketball