There will always be a glimmer of something positive in a situation that is hard to fathom.
The Bolts had the chance to get back into the win column after leading by ten, 75-65, to open the final period, only to succumb into turnovers and bow to Matthew Wright and co.
But despite the defeat that sent them down to the with a 2-3 record, one good takeaway from the match was the emergence of rookie Jonathan Grey as a possible scoring weapon for Meralco. Last night, seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft shot an efficient 7-for-12 from the field, including three treys and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe en route to a career-high output of 24 markers.
The six-foot-two combo guard out of Laguna was quick to credit his stellar play to their familiarity with coach Norman Black’s fast-paced system with the Bolts.
“Medyo nakukuha na namin [yung sistema],” said Grey moments after their affair against Phoenix. “Nagugulat kami na involved kami doon sa pasahan. Alam mo naman kung paano maglaro ang Meralco.”
And the College of Saint Benilde product still feels overwhelmed whenever he is given the chance to strut his stuff on the court, trying to repay the trust his coach giving him by delivering when needed.
“Siyempre nakaka-overwhelm. Si coach Norman makikita mo naman kung sino ‘yung mainit ‘yan ang gagamitin niya, so bibigyan ka talaga niya ng chance kung may ipapakita ka.”
With their recent loss that pulled them down to the Bottom Four of the rankings, Grey shared that he learned a valuable thing from such, and that is to be consistent right from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
“Dapat ganoon, ‘yun ang winning attitude na ‘wag kang magrerelax so kailangan every game go hard ka,” addressed Grey.
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old gunslinger is slowly earning the trust of his head coach, averaging a decent 10 markers per outing coming off the bench in the five games he has been playing.
His noteworthy performances is slowly becoming a testament of what he can do, and that he can be more lethal once ripe enough in the pros. But for the young gunner, he would not want to build a hype around him this early.
“Wala, hindi ko iniisip ‘yun (prove myself),” rued Grey. “Kasi sa PBA, kahit four years, five years ka na kailangan i-prove [pa rin] ang sarili mo.”
“Ito na ‘yung buhay mo, so gawin mo lang maging ready ka lang. Try mo lang manalo every game hanggang sa makuha mo ang goal mo.”
