What a way for Mike Tolomia to return in action.
The last four outings of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ run in the elimination round proved to be a forgettable stretch. They lost those four games in a row, sending their once-surefire playoff chance to a bleak one.
Coincidentally, during that four-game skid, rookie guard Mike Tolomia hardly sniffed the court — a puzzling move by Rain or Shine coaches since he has already become a part of the team’s guard rotation.
Prior to those losses, Tolomia, 24, was averaging 6.7 points and 13.5 minutes a game. But during their last four outings, Tolomia, who was a DNP against Meralco and Alaska, just scored a total of nine markers and played just 13:46 minutes.
But on Friday night, Tolomia was finally let loose, scoring a career-high 14 markers on 5-of-12 shooting to help the slumping Elasto Painters book the last quarterfinal ticket with a 103-80 thumping of Blackwater Elite.
And that performance of him, according to the former FEU Tamaraws star, is just the result of him always being ready.
“Sinasabi niya [Coach Caloy Garcia] lang lagi sa’kin na ready lang ako,” said Tolomia. “Sinasabihan niya lang ako sa practice na mag-extra shooting ako kasi ‘di niya raw alam kung kailan niya ‘ko bubunutin ulit.
“So yun, binigyan naman niya ‘ko ng chance makalaro ngayon. Tingin ko ready ako ngayon.”
It was indeed a stellar performance by the Zamboanga-native in a time needed the most, given the fact that being benched can halt one’s rhythm. But for Tolomia, being sidelined for a significant amount of time was not a concern for him.
“Dun sa mga talo naman, kahit ‘di ako nagagamit, ready pa rin ako. ‘Di ako nawawalan ng kumpiyansa,” the 5-foot-11 guard shared.
“Kaya coming to this game, kapag ginamit ako, talagang aggresive pa rin ako. ‘Di ko binabago yung laro ko.”
Rain or Shine has now completed the whole playoff picture, but a daunting task is at hand as they will face San Miguel Beermen — the team that started their skid with a 107-101 loss in overtime.
And for the young shot creator, that heartbreaking defeat serves as their prime motivation heading into the huge quarterfinal clash on Sunday.
“Motivation namin yung pagkatalo namin sa kanila [San Miguel]. Kasi nun, isang possession na lang yung kailangan naming isecure, panalo na kami eh.
“Sa tingin ko yun yung makakatulong sa’min talaga para sa Sunday,” the Gilas Cadet hoped.
