Rome De La Rosa has been known as a defensive-minded forward in the four years he has been in the pros. But lately this 2017-18 Philippine Cup, the 27-year-old swingman has been showing his offensive prowess for the Magnolia Hotshots.
In their 96-81 win over the GlobalPort Batang Pier on Friday night that ended their two-game funk, the San Beda Red Lions product fired 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, along with four rebounds, two steals and an assists.
The outing was made more impressive because he’d already surpassed his career-high in scoring three times in four games. What De La Rosa eclipsed now was the 15 markers he made last week, in a loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
However, what matters to Dela Rosa the most is the victory, which had given them the luxury of sitting in the second spot of the team standings.
“The career-high, I’m just thankful to God that it happened. But the win is the most important thing,” said the San Diego, California-born cager.
“It was a must-win for us and just to be up there, we’re assured of the quarters.”
Asked if he can continue his scoring streak as the All-Filipino eliminations head into the home stretch, the four-time NCAA champion said that he will simply take all the opportunities that will be given to him.
“If the opportunity comes, of course. I’ve been working on it and the coaches trust me to make plays. We’ll see,” said the 13th overall pick in the 2014 Rookie Draft, who is currently averaging 9.3 markers, 2.8 caroms, and 1.1 dimes.
“I’ll just continue to work hard and [do] whatever I can do to help the team win. That’s the most important thing naman.”
