ALL IN A DAY’S WORK
When you’re the biggest guy on the floor, you’re expected to stamp your class on the hardwood.
And even though he faced reigning Governors’ Cup Best Import awardee Marqus Blakely, June Mar Fajardo showed that he is not one of the best young players in the PBA for nothing.
The Cebuano behemoth finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds to help San Miguel Beer score a 92-90 victory over San Mig Coffee on Sunday at the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup.
It seems like it has become a habit now for the 6-foot-11 Kraken to rack up double-doubles game in-and-game out, but for the 24-year-old center, it’s all part of his job.
“Ginagawa ko lang yung trabaho ko dito. Binabayaran ako para mag-rebound,” Fajardo said, as he carried a sheepish smile towards the scribes after the game.
Facing Blakely and DOTA buddy Marc Pingris on the other end, June Mar admitted that he still had a hard time grabbing those boards, but it’s his will to carry his team to the win which made the difference.
“Nakakapagod din pero kailangan rumebound. Yun ang pinaka-asset ko sa team. Pagdating sa court, dapat seryoso na,” he said.
Fajardo also bared that it’s an added motivation for the Beermen to defeat the Coffee Mixers as the game could be considered as a rematch of last season’s Governors’ Cup Finals, where San Mig outlasted then-Petron, 4-3.
“Sabi din ni coach na kailangan naming talunin yung San Mig para i-prove na kaya naming makipagsabayan sa defending champion,” said the leading candidate to this season’s MVP award.
But despite Fajardo’s gaudy statline, the gentle giant focused more in his shortcomings, especially in his free throw shooting for the night, shooting an anemic 6-of-14 from the charity stripe, and promised that he’ll try his best to iron that wrinkle out.
“Malaki yung naitulong ng extra workouts ko, pero kailangan kong mas tutukan yung free throw shooting ko kasi ang dami kong mintis. Nakakahiya naman sa teammates ko,” he said. (RL)
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