Coming off a stellar PBA D-League campaign with the Cignal HD Hawkeyes, coupled with head-turning games in the 2017 Merlion Cup with the NLEX-SCTEX Road Warriors, many expected Jason Perkins to carry over his production with the Phoenix Fuel Masters right from the get-go. But just like it has for everyone else, the PBA proved to be a different animal.
And it did not help that the Fuel Masters’ first assignment had been the three-time defending champions San Miguel Beermen and that he had to defend former league Most Valuable Player Arwind Santos.
Though he put up respectable numbers of 10 points on 5-for-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, the lefty forward was saddled with foul trouble all throughout the contest, limiting him to just 21 minutes of action. Moreover, Phoenix suffered 96-104 loss on opening day.
The two-time UAAP gold medalist for Men’s Basketball admitted that he had known going in that the level of play in the big league is far different compared to the leagues he played in before.
“It wasn’t a surprise. I was well aware that I was playing with smart players — our team and San Miguel’s team,” shared the 23-year-old La Salle alumnus.
“All the players in the PBA, their IQs is a lot higher than it was in college, so it’s not surprise to me.”
Even if he has prepped for this all his life, the outcome was not what he expected, and he was particularly hard on himself after the game.
“Not good. It wasn’t good.
“It wasn’t as good as I would’ve liked to play. But it doesn’t really matter how I played, we ended up losing. It’s about wins and losses,” shared Perkins.
“He can do a lot better,” added first-year Phoenix head coach Louie Alas. “Kasi dalawang games namin sa pre-season, siya yung aming highest pointer eh. Pero yung sakit niya nung pre-season ganoon din ngayon—early fouls.
“So kailangang maka-adjust siya sa mga tawag ng referees kasi hindi yung referees yung mag-aadjust sa kanya.”
Perkins is charging this one to experience. And with Phoenix returning to the hard court on Wednesday, December 27, against the Kia Picanto, he vows that he will perform better.
“I’m gonna play a lot better, I’m gonna work a lot harder. My IQ is gonna be higher next game. I’m gonna study the game a lot more,” he said.
“Hopefully, I’m gonna keep getting better, I’ll keep getting better every game and keep progressing.”
