Justin Arana was proud to see his hard work pay off when he made the game-winning play that allowed Converge to turn back Rain or Shine in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup encounter befitting of a Sunday night treat.
The rookie big man showcased his inside game in getting rid of counterpart Santi Santillan for the go-ahead bucket with 15.1 seconds left, eventually leading to the FiberXers’ 102-101 win that extended their win streak to seven.
Of course, he’s thankful for being entrusted with that big of a responsibility by head coach Aldin Ayo, who diagrammed the play specifically for him.
“Siyempre malaking credit dun si Coach Aldin, kasi ‘yung last play talaga, dinraw niya para sa’kin,” said Arana, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, moments after the match at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“‘Yung tiwala niya… sobrang pasasalamat ako na nagtiwala siya sa’kin kahit na rookie ako at binigay niya sa’kin last play talaga. Kaya ‘yon, laking pasasalamat talaga,” added the former Arellano University star.
Another one that he expressed immense gratitude to is all-time great Danny Ildefonso, who’s established himself as a maker of elite big men — long before he ventured into coaching shortly after hanging it up in 20-15.
Arana gave credit to the two-time PBA MVP for the push ever since he came into the ball club as its fourth overall pick in the last Rookie Draft.
“Since Day One na na-draft ako and nag-practice ako sa Converge, si Coach Danny talaga naggagabay sa’kin eh. On and off the court, ‘yan siya talaga, especially sa katawan ko na kailangan ko magbuhat.
“Then yung kinakain ko binabantayan niya. Nag one-on-one kaming training kami sa post. Sobrang laking tulong niya sa’kin, para ma-adapt niya ‘yung galaw na mga ginagawa niya dati sa PBA,” he shared.
And undeniably, his influence was seen when Arana pulled off that impressive move inside — he dribbled twice to his right, spun to the opposite direction, then faked the lengthy Santillan to create enough room for the eventual winner.
Pundits and fans online that had the chance to see Ildefonso, also known as the ‘Demolition Man,’ during his heydays saw as much, too.
“Kaya laking pasalamat din ako kay Coach Danny,” reiterated Arana. “Minsan may araw na tinatamad ako, pero siya pa rin nagpu-push sa’kin.
“Kasi ‘yun nga sabi niya sa’kin, ‘Tara na andito na tayo, ‘pag nag-extra tayo, milyon na mahahawakan mo.’ Ganon ‘yung mga sinasabi niya sa’kin.”
—
The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
