PETRON GIANT ‘RAISES THE ROOF’ AND HIS GAME
After throwing down a two-handed thunderous dunk in the second quarter, Petron Blaze’s towering slotman Junemar Fajardo uncovered a celebration which the crowd has not seen in a while.
With his two hands up and his palms facing the heavens, he raised his arms and made the familiar “raise the roof” motion, a celebration made famous by a guy who goes by the name of Danny Ildefonso.
In a sort of a tribute, the 24-year-old pulled the stunt to honor his idol-turned-mentor, days after the longtime San Miguel player was inauspiciously left out of the Boosters’ roster just before the season started.
“Mag-isa na lang akong nag-e-extra work sa practice,” he said. “Three days na syang di nagpupunta sa ensayo namin eh.”
“Nami-miss ko sya. Paano na ako nito? Wala nang magtuturo sa akin,” said the Pinamungahan, Cebu native, failing to hide the sadness he feels without Ildefonso, who took Fajardo under his wing in his first year as a professional.
In spite of his melancholy, Fajardo didn’t fail to impress in his season-opener, as he tallied 15 points, 16 boards, four assists, and a block in their 97-87 trumping of GlobalPort, reminiscent of the dominance “The Demolition Man” had during his heydays in the early 2000s, when he was awarded Most Valuable Player in back-to-back seasons.
But if there’s one thing Ildefonso taught “The Kraken,” it is not to back down from any challenge, and that night he faced no less than the returning “Major Pain” Eric Menk.
“Naiilang din ako kasi beterano na yung mga yun eh. Pero unti-unti na rin naman akong nasasanay (sa physicality),” he said.
Also, with the infusion of the current rookie class highlighted by the entry of his former Cebuano rival Greg Slaughter, Fajardo debunked the issues of their so-called rivalry.
“Wag na nating pagusapan yung ganun,” he said. “Naka-double-double sya (Slaughter) nung first game nya sa Ginebra, nasa magandang team pa sya. Chini-cheer pa sya nung fans kaya talagang tataas yung kumpyansa nya.”
“Basta ako, kailangan ko mag-extra work. Maglalaro lang ako at gagalingan ko pa,” Fajardo said.
When pressed him being the benchmark of the new age centers in the league, the unassuming giant said, “Sobrang exaggerated naman nun. Marami ring magagaling na players na malaki din dito!”
“Gusto ko lang maglaro, matututo, at manalo. Di naman about sa akin ‘to eh. About sa Petron ‘to,” Fajardo said. “Tutulungan ko lang yung teammates ko na gumaling in the same way na tutulungan din nila ako gumaling.” (RLeongson)
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