Nash Racela still remembers the problems Roi Sumang caused for opposing teams during his heydays with University of the East in the UAAP.
The veteran mentor is all too familiar, having coached against the gunslinging point guard during his time at the helm for Far Eastern University.
But that has apparently changed now that he’s in the PBA. Instead, Racela has been seeing a Sumang who sometimes plays tentatively.
“Nakikita ko na minsan naghe-hesitate tumira, ayaw,” he lamented.
There’s no denying how good of a player Sumang was with UE. And Racela himself believes that he’s capable of playing like that in the pros.
So now that he’s calling the shots for Blackwater, one of his goals is bringing back the Sumang he saw with the Red Warriors.
“We want him to bring his game back. ‘Yung level niya sa UE,” he said. “We have to remind him na nung naglalaro siya sa UE, hirap na hirap kami siyang bantayan.
“Sabi namin, you are capable of doing that. If you think you’re open and you have a good shot, then go ahead and take it.”
And from the looks of it, the Tondo-born cager has taken Racela’s reminders to heart.
On Monday night, Sumang delivered the goods to help the Elite eke out a 96-89 win over NorthPort in their season debut.
There, the 29-year-old produced 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also had four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
One of his steals saved Blackwater from a 17-point collapse, as it led to an Ed Daquioag lay-up with 29 ticks left that practically sealed the game.
And Racela feels proud of the five-year pro, who he said will now be one of the leaders of this young Bossing crew.
“Alam ko naga-adjust siya, but today maganda ‘yung contributions niya. And we’ll look to him as one of our leaders, as one of our veterans.”
