During his second and final year at the De La Salle University, Brent Paraiso only had 22 overall points to his name.
But when he faced the Green Archers for the first time since transferring to the University of Santo Tomas, the 6-foot-2 utility guard showed how much he has grown as a player since then.
Saturday afternoon, Paraiso scored 22 points against his former school on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting clip. His performance surprised even his former teammate Aljun Melecio.
“Nagtatawanan kami kanina,” said Melecio. “Nung first half, pumutok siya.
“Sabi ko, ‘Brent, ‘di ka naman ganyan dati ha? May hugot ka ba?”
Paraiso shared that having a larger role in UST helped him develop the confidence to shoot his shot. However, he downplayed his performance, as the Growling Tigers lost to La Salle, 77-92.
“I’ve moved on to a new chapter in my life, so I’m starting fresh.
“Of course, nakakapanibago kasi in La Salle, I was a bench player. But now I’m playing a big role, so I just really have to adjust on my conditioning,” said Paraiso, who had 15 points in the first half but was held down to just seven in the final 20 minutes of the contest.
With the tough loss to his former school, Paraiso vows that he and the Growling Tigers will be better come their second round outing. Moreover, he can’t wait to figure in another duel against his good friend Melecio.
“It’s great to play against them. I’ve been playing with sina Aljun for a long time, so it’s good to be back in the court again kahit magkalaban, but we have to play,” he shared.
“It’s a game, so they won and we have to do better.”
