One for All
Sunday afternoon, Alab Pilipinas were able to take their fifth win of the season after defeating the defending ABL champions Westsports Malaysia Dragons on the road, 65-54.
Though the league’s leading scorer Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. was limited to his season-low nine points, Alab’s bench picked up the slack — combining for a season-high 31 points.
“Like what I said before, Alab Pilipinas gives opportunity to everybody and they have a home here,” Alab head coach Mac Cuan said.
Leading Alab’s bench mob was JR Cawaling. The Cagayan de Oro native finished the game with 11 markers on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 from distance, to go along with four rebounds in 19 minutes of game time.
The 29-year-old product of the Far Eastern University basketball program was not supposed to be there, however. A day prior to the game, his older brother Jared Cawaling had passed away due to an internal infection.
“Before the game, I talked to the team,” Cuan shared.
“JR could’ve gone home to be with his brother but he chose to be here, he chose to be a professional.”
And as the buzzer sounded, the entire team, a team that is starting to become a family, gathered around Cawaling — everyone trying to fight off tears for the sacrifice made by their brother.
“It’s the same thing that happened to my baby kaya naiyak din ako kanina when I heard about it,” Cuan reflected.
“We are dedicating this win to his brother.”
In this time of grief for the Cawaling family, the entire Alab family will be there the rest of the way to lift up their brother.
All for One
Photo by ASEAN Basketball League
