After being one of the main men for Chong Son last season, Filipino-American Caelan Tiongson is doing the thankless job with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas a year later.
And based in his debut with the defending champions, he is grateful to be on the team just the same.
“It’s honestly amazing!
“My first year playing professional basketball was a lonely experience. But here I feel loved, so I love it here. And I hope I can show love back to the fans like they show me, so I love it,” the 26-year-old shared.
Last season, the 6-foot-5 forward averaged 11.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists to help lead Chong Son to a fourth-place finish.
His workhorse mentality caught the eye of Alab head coach Jimmy Alapag, who immediately tapped him during the off-season.
Tiongson was as good as advertised when Alab took on the CLS Knights Sunday. He finished with four points, eight rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in just 26 minutes of game time in a loaded Philippine squad. On the other end, he helped limit Maxie Esho to a horrid 8-of-19 shooting clip.
“I think tonight, he just kind of reinforced what I said about him last year. He only had four points but he was plus-twenty-seven on the efficiency. He only had four points, but he had eight rebounds and seven assists,” Alapag pointed out.
“And if you guys remember, that’s exactly how Rudy Hatfield works.”
Playing for the homeside certainly gave Tiongson plenty of jitters. But though he was excited, work had to be done.
“I was excited to play the game, [a] little bit anxious. It affected a couple of my shots, but I know what I’m good at with basketball and I know the teammates I have around me,” Tiongson asserted after Alab’s sensational 94-67 victory.
“So we won, we won by a lot of points so that means I did my job so I’m happy about that.”
But it’s just game one of hopefully many for Tiongson. And come the last day of the season, he is hoping that Alab raises the trophy once again – this time, with him around.
“Well they won a championship last year. That was my main goal, [it] was to come in here, help the team get better. So I mean people can make their own determination of how I did tonight, but I think I fit well and I feel like I help get the ball where it needed,” he said.
“So, I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win, so I just want to win another championship with these guys.”
