Gilas pool member Kevin Ferrer showed why he is one of the cornerstones of Ginebra
Standing at 6-foot-4, Kevin Ferrer’s game stands out from the rest of the field, as he is a lethal scorer that can light it up at any given time. And he strutted his game on Sunday evening during Game Two of the Philippine Cup Finals in Lucena City.
The 23-year-old torched the San Miguel Beermen during the second quarter of the game. Ferrer scored 18 of Ginebra’s 39 points during the quarter, helping the Gin Kings erect a 26-point lead.
“I did my best lang. Ayun, ayun ang game plan, pag libre, tira lang talaga. Sabi nila, kumpyansa lang, okay lang. Kailangan sundin namin yung plano lang,” the University of Santo Tomas alumnus shared.
He only missed a single attempt during the quarter, going 3-of-4 from downtown, while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out an assist. And coach Tim Cone knew what he was getting when he drafted Ferrer during the special Gilas draft of the 2016 PBA Draft, even comparing him to Justin Brownlee.
“Kevin is key to… he’s been key this whole conference, I think, in terms of giving us that extra dimension that we had when we had Justin Brownlee,” Cone shared after Ginebra’s 124-118 Game Two win.
Brownlee, who stands at 6-foot-7, had given Ginebra an new dimension during their 2016 Governors Cup campaign. The reinforcement helped stretch the floor for the Gin Kings as he shot 40 percent from distance during the regular season. For Cone, this is the same thing Ferrer is giving them on offense.
“We had Justin Brownlee, and he was doing a lot of the stuff that Kevin is doing for us now. In fact, they play a similar game, the two of them,” the 19-time PBA champion mentor pointed out.
“It’s just that Justin is an NBA-quality player, and that’s the big difference. But he adds that dimension that we lacked, so he’s been real key for us.”
Ferrer downplayed the comparison, though, saying he still has a lot to learn from Cone and from the game itself.
“Wow, iba yun ah.
“Siyempre, compare lang naman eh, pero ayun, keep on doing the right things and susundin ko lang yung plano ni coach. Thank you kay coach na naku-kumpara ako kay Brownlee,” the rookie said.
However, Cone knows that Ferrer is far from being a finished product. He noted that Ferrer still has lapses on the defensive end that sometimes negates what they get from him on offense.
“He’s still learning the game,” Cone admitted. “He made some mistakes defensively down the stretch. Because we are a defensive-first team and we rely on our defense, it’s really hard for the rookies out there who don’t understand the importance and all the techniques that we do defensively. He kind of disrupts a little bit but on the other hand, we get some great offense from him.”
And it’s one of the many things Ferrer is working on.
“Yun nga eh, parang tine-take ko na lang yun as experience lang talaga.
“Ngayon, alam ko na yung mga tendencies ng mga players, so hindi ko na pinabayaan sila,” Ferrer said.
