Belo shrugs off jitters for stellar debut, thanks vets for guidance
Blackwater prized forward Mac Belo shrugged off first-game jitters to lead the Elite to a 94-87 victory over Phoenix on Wednesday, their best opening game since joining the league in 2014.
The former Tamaraw star scored 17 markers, to go along with 9 rebounds and 2 assists on his PBA debut.
“Actually, kinakabahan talaga ako eh. Buti nalang maaga akong nagising kanina. Masarap pala maglaro kapag puyat,” Belo joked before some sportswriters during the post-game interview.
He scored the first points the game and his career on a three-point play. He also played a vital role in the crucial stretch, forcing a turnover and fishing a foul from JC intal before sinking two freebies to give the Elite a 92-85 lead with 36.1 seconds remaining.
The former Tamaraw also played a vital role in the crucial stretch as he forced a turnover and fished a foul from JC intal before sinking two freebies to give the Elite a 92-85 lead with 36.1 seconds remaining in the ball game.
The 6-foot-4 forward from Midsayap, North Cotabato managed to overcome the pressure, thanks to the guidance of his veteran teammates.
“Although may pressure, tuloy tuloy lang yung improvement ko as a player, tinutulungan naman ako ng mga veterans namin at ng mga coaches, lalo na sila kuya Denok (Miranda). Especially kapag nag-di-drills kami, talagang very vocal yung mga beterano namin,” said a grateful Belo.
The versatile wingman also commended his teammates for a job well done as group.
“Actually hindi ko inexpect na magiging ganito kaganda yung laro ko, siguro maganda lang talaga yung team work namin as a team,” he added.
Blackwater coach Leo Isaac was elated with his young gun’s performance but admitted that Belo still has a lot to improve on, something that the coaching staff is willing to help with.
“May potential yung bata, full of promises. But we have to guide him. May mga pagkakamali rin siya and that is where coaches step in para ‘yung tools nya will be properly sharpened and he will turn out to be the player he is projected to be,” Isaac said of his prized freshman.
But it’s only a start of a long journey for Belo, who expects a tougher and more physical match-ups ahead of the season. He vowed to further improve his conditioning as he tries to make a name in the league.
“Alam naman natin na ditosa PBA, mas malalaki at mas malalakas mga players dito. So in terms of my conditioning sa strengthening, ‘yun ang patuloy kong iniimprove. Kailangan kasi pagnasa PBA ka, nasa kondisyon ka. “ Onofre John Andres, Jeremiah Sevilla
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
