With the presence of hard-nosed hustle guys like Cliff Hodge and Sean Anthony, Chris Newsome is looking to be more offensive-minded for the Meralco Bolts.
The Ateneo swing man was selected 4th overall in the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft at the Robinsons Place Manila by Meralco, and is expected to bring his offensive arsenal to the Bolts’ wing positions.
“I feel like I am going to be able to contribute more offensively because I will not be the one down there rebounding all the time like I had to in Ateneo playing the power forward position,” Newsome said on having the luxury of playing alongside Meralco’s other energy guys.
“I will be more on the perimeter, maybe I can get the long rebounds or be the one of the first guys out on the break, so I plan on being more aggressive with this team on the open court.”
He adds having Baser Amer in the team will help Meralco should the team decide to run and gun in stretches, and he will be able to leave Newsome focusing on about two positions.
“I can really focus on just playing one or two positions. I am also looking forward [to improving my three-point shooting]”.
Newsome is also looking forward to the opportunity of reuniting with coach Norman Black who has seen the growth of the athletic wing man.
“I am really excited to finally work with coach Norman; he has been there for me ever since I arrived in the Philippines,” Newsome shared.
“I feel like he is the one who saw me develop the most. He has seen every aspect of every level of my game and he has seen me improve.”
Bolts assistant head coach Luigi Trillo added Newsome can play multiple positions and play solid defense, another aspect Black liked about the draftee.
“He can defend and there are so much things he can do,” Trillo said. “He can defend guards, switch on ball screens, and the other thing is he can run out on the floor so I feel blessed he fell into our lap.”
Having a busy offseason, Meralco looks to achieve even more in the upcoming season. They already brought Jimmy Alapag in from a trade while Rabeh Al-Hussaini has returned to the lineup.
Newsome is one of their stack of selections this year which will make the team even more dangerous in the 2015-16 season.
