Gabe Norwood felt pressured in return to Rain or Shine

Gabe Norwood was all smiles as he made his way out of Rain or Shine’s dugout. He deserves to feel so, as the Elasto Painters had finally broke the Star Hotshots curse and stretched their winning streak to three games.

“It was great,” said the 32-year-old, who has returned after a stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon. “I felt like there was pressure on me and Raymond (Almazan).

“They won two games without us, so we didn’t want to come back and be unlucky charms.

“We came in and everybody played well tonight. It was good to get a team victory against one of the top teams in the league,” continued Norwood, who made his presence felt in the 92-88 win with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Norwood, Almazan, and the Nationals had returned to the country just this past Tuesday. Since then, the six-foot-five national team pioneer has gotten little rest, obviously, but Norwood has no qualms over it.

“I think a lot of it’s mental. Basketball is what we do; this is our job,” said Norwood, who is averaging 7.67 points, 5.67 rebounds, and 1.67 assists this conference. “I’ve been playing basketball since the age of 5, so physically, I don’t even know any more if I’m hurt or in pain.

“It’s the mental transition that takes its toll, so right now, I’m just going to enjoy these ten days, and really try to refocus, and get back into it.”