Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Japeth Aguilar grateful for Ginebra’s patience that led to Finals MVP


For Japeth Aguilar, it was tough for him to accept the crown as PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Most Valuable Player.

It’s because for the 6-foot-9 forward, it wasn’t just him who made Barangay Ginebra regain its throne as the kings of the season-ending conference, but rather all of the Gin Kings.

“Ang hirap i-accept ng Finals MVP kasi alam ko na pinaghirapan din ‘to ng teammates ko,” he said moments after their 105-93 Game Five win over Meralco at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

“Talagang ‘di madali makuha tong championship na ‘to. We got to earn it talaga.”

Indeed, Aguilar deserved every inch of that award. He was the most consistent Gin King in the series with averages of 15.5 points, 9.25 rebounds, and 3.25 blocks in the first four games.

In Game Five, he had a team-high 25 points along with eight rebounds and four blocks — a performance which got the pro-Ginebra crowd of 17,378 to hurl MVP chants late in the game.

2020-pba-governors-cup-finals-game-5-ginebra-def-meralco-japeth-aguilar Japeth Aguilar grateful for Ginebra's patience that led to Finals MVP Basketball News PBA  - philippine sports news

Aguilar now has five PBA titles, but this marks the first time that he has won a Finals MVP award.

The second-generation cager has clearly become a more well-rounded player now, and the plum shows that. For the 32-year-old, though, it was all just maturity on his part.

“Actually for me, it’s just maturity lang talaga. It’s just learning; never stopping from growing sa lahat ng mga conferences na minsan we fall short of our goals,” he said.”

“Keep on learning lang talaga. Nagpapasalamat ako sa coaches kasi tinulungan nila ako sa maturity ko.”

#ReadMore  PBA: Brownlee, Ginebra fight off Meralco rally, even series
Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Basketball

Ginebra head coach Tim Cone left the SMART Araneta Coliseum utterly disappointed — and puzzled — after losing to Meralco on Friday night. It...

Basketball

Meralco turned what was thought to be a dogfight to a lopsided mauling as it whipped Ginebra, 91-73, to arrest its two-game slide in...

News

Choco Mucho head coach and long-time Ginebra fan Dante Alinsunurin cherished the opportunity to meet Justin Brownlee moments after his team’s straight-set win over...

Basketball

Japeth Aguilar has taken a significant step in preparing for life after basketball. On Sunday night, the 37-year-old Ginebra big man launched his newest...

Basketball

Ralph Cu has had a memorable year so far. To kick off the year, Tim Cone, his head coach in Ginebra, made him part...

Basketball

Jamie Malonzo’s redemption tour continued on Sunday. Malonzo once again led Ginebra San Miguel, leading their 102-92 rout of Phoenix to remain unblemished in...

Basketball

All seemed fine for Scottie Thompson during the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. In the two games played, the do-it-all...

Basketball

Jamie Malonzo was a nervous wreck after Ginebra San Miguel’s 113-107 triumph over Rain or Shine on Friday evening. Malonzo had just played like...

Advertisement