JVee Casio may have had the spotlight all on him on Friday night, thanks to his triple-double performance that helped the Alaska Aces to a victory, but for head coach Alex Compton, his praises are directed at many of his players.
In particular, it was directed at the seldom-used Marion Magat and his contributions.
The 29-year-old forward, who missed three games this 2017-18 Philippine Cup due to health issues, finished with a career-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting along with six rebounds, two assists, and a block in 29 minutes in their 99-95 win.
What makes the Dagupan-born pro’s outing spectacular was that he made it against a dangerous Rain or Shine Elasto Painters side, and he delivered when the Aces were missing the services of Calvin Abueva, Carl Cruz, and Chris Banchero.
“I’m through-the-roof happy for Marion Magat,” beamed the amiable coach about Magat, who had been averaging just 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes prior to this game.
“He started out getting opportunities then he got sick then lost some opportunities then made the most out of us having two players with Gilas.
“And that came out out of nowhere — what he did — but he was a big contributor. To not get a lot of minutes and then to come in and play that way was great,” Compton added.
“So I’m just really happy for him.”
Apparently, Compton and the Aces have just found another gem in the National University product. And that’s what the team needs from now on, as they are about to embark on a new journey that is the 2018 Philippine Cup playoffs.
