Facing TNT Katropa ace Jayson Castro was the gauge for Meralco Bolts sophomore Baser Amer on whether he could keep up with the elite guards of the league. But even prior to the series, Castro has already been taking notes.
“Lahat naman napapansin si Baser na ang laki ng inimprove niya. So, siguro darating din yung time niya,” Castro said after Game One of their best-of-three quarterfinals series, in which Amer scored 14 points and grab three rebounds.
But then came Game Two and Game Three, where the 6-foot Davaoeño went toe-to-toe, and point-for-point against the floor general dubbed as Asia’s best point guard. And the nine-year veteran admitted that Amer had pushed him to the limit.
“Ako, aaminin ko na sobrang hindi lang challenge eh. lahat na, pinag-aralan ko yung mga moves niya after nung Game Two, kasi ang galing niyang gumamit ng ball screen; at the same time, mga mismatch, nakikita niya kung sino yung aatakihin niya,” the four-time Best Player of the Conference shared.
“So talagang na-push talaga ako. As in lahat ng defense na alam ko, ginawa ko na.”
Amer went on to average 23.67 points on 50 percent shooting to go along with 6.0 rebounds in the series, while Castro ended up with 22.67 points on 40.42 percent shooting and 4.33 assists. But it was Castro and the Katropa who went on to the next round after outlasting the Bolts in overtime, 104-96.
After the dust had settled, Castro made sure to find Amer in the sea of people on the floor of the SMART-Araneta Coliseum to remind him that this is just the beginning.
“Sobrang natutuwa ako kasi ang laki ng in-improve niya from last year, at the same time, yung confidence niya nandun na. for sure, gagaling pa yun. Nakita naman natin yung decision-making niya, nandun na,” Gilas Pilipinas’ skipper shared.
“Yung puso niya, buong-buo na. For sure, magiging top point guard siya sa PBA.”
And with Amer being called up to Gilas Pilipinas, Castro will make sure that he will take him under his wing.
