At the age of 38 years old and serving as both player and head coach of a veteran-laden Gamboa Coffee Lovers squad, Leo Avenido could have taken a backseat to watch his team go toe-to-toe with the Wangs Basketball Couriers, Tuesday afternoon.
But his pride did not let him to do so.
“Kanina, nagpaka-player na naman ako,” the 6-foot-2 swingman shared.
Avenido scored 14 of his game-high 38 points in the final frame, that helped the struggling Gamboa squad knot things up at 86-all. However, his efforts all went for naught as a find by Tim Habelito to John Ambuludto on the break broke the hearts of Gamboa.
Still, Avenido, a former ABL Most Valuable Player, held his head up high after his herculean game that saw him grab nine boards as well in 30 minutes of game time.
“Nagcracramps na ako nun pero gusto ko talaga manalo,” reflected Avenido after the heartbreaking 86-88 loss.
“Pride na lang e puro kami beterano tapos mga bata sa kabila diba?
“Hindi naman sa inaano ko na mahina yung Wangs pero ang akin lang pride na lang at kaya naman e. Kulang lang sa effort siguro,” furthered Avenido, who is now averaging 17.25 points and 5.25 rebounds this conference..
Still, even after being handed the worst loss in D-League history and then suffering this defeat, Avenido is still hopeful that the Coffee Lovers could turn things around.
“Sinabi ko na lang na magdagdag tayo sa effort, kulang lang tayo sa energy lalo sa depensa,” the alumnus of FEU shared.
“Hihingi ako sa management ng medyo dagdagan ensayo kasi bago lang ‘tong team na ito”
