EYE-POPPING CAREER REBOOT
Almost two months before KIA made its PBA debut, LA Revilla sat still on one of the benches inside the Unilab Gym in Pasig.
With almost 30 guys fighting for spots on the coveted 15-man roster of the Sorento squad, Revilla was just thankful for the chance to get his career rebooted with the expansion team.
“Nagpapasalamat ako. Grateful ako na may second chance ako to play. I’ll grab that opportunity and make the most out of it,” he said.
Fast forward to the opening day of the PBA’s 40th season. In front of more than 52,000 fans, the 5-foot-8 guard ignites a third quarter blast as KIA shook off PBA debut jitters and delivered an 80-66 win over fellow newcomer Blackwater.
The former La Salle guard had a sensational third quarter, scoring 14 of his game-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. He also grabbed six rebounds.
“I’m just overwhelmed by the moment, thankful at the same time and I’m just glad that we won,” Revilla said.
If people are asking him what he ate at halftime which spurred his inspired game, Revilla said that he just stayed with the team’s gameplan.
“I didn’t know what happened. I just played the game. We trusted the system, trusted coach, trusted everybody, and the result just happened,” he said.
KIA playing coach Manny Pacquiao is also satisfied with Revilla’s performance which rubbed off on his teammates, as he said, “Maganda yung nilaro nya. Maganda yung pinakita nya at nabuhayan din yung buong team, pati yung mga kasamahan nya like si Rudy Lingganay. Malaking bagay yung nagawa ni LA tonight.” (RL)
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