Fran Yu pulled off arguably the highlight of the night during NorthPort’s eventual win over TNT in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, Friday night.
Hardly bothered by the defense of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the rookie sized up the much bigger import before unloading a three-pointer from the left wing to cap off a 7-0 run towards a 120-113 lead with 3:43 left in overtime.
It wasn’t just an ordinary triple.
Yu looked away even before the shot met the bottom of the net a la Stephen Curry, sending their bench to a frenzy.
“Hindi ko alam eh. Basta pagkabitaw ko, feeling ko papasok,” Yu said about that play moments after the 128-123 win at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
“Kung pumasok, masaya. Kung hindi, magso-sorry ako sa coaches,” furthered the former Letran Knights star in between chuckles.
Confident was Yu all night long, so much so that he finished with 14 points and six assists off the bench for his best showing in the pros thus far.
That’s why it wasn’t much of an issue for him when he missed the potential game-winning trey at the end of regulation, as evidenced by his steadiness in the extra period that saw him contribute four big points.
He was one of the rooks that made head coach Bonnie Tan proud, together with big man Cade Flores (16 points) and Brent Paraiso (10 points).
“Naging strict siya sa ensayo. Kaya ayun,” said the pride of Tondo of the way he and the young guns performed that ended NorthPort’s two-game skid.
“Tsaka wala pa kaming pinapakita ni Brent e, kaming dalawa, so kailangan namin mag-perform.”
Making the win all the more sweeter for the 25-year-old playmaker was being able to stand his ground against Tropang Giga star Jayson Castro.
“Masaya kasi hindi naman biro na makatapat ‘yung [isa sa] best point guard. Dun pa rin bumabalik, na gusto kong magkaroon ng spot sa PBA,” he said.
