Adrian Wong made head coach Chito Victolero proud with the way he stepped up for Magnolia in their 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup duel with NLEX, Wednesday.
Just in his second game since joining the Hotshots as a free agent, the 25-year-old made eight points, two rebounds, and a steal in nearly 21 minutes in their 112-109 come-from-behind triumph over the Road Warriors.
More importantly, the team won its fifth game in as many games to once again emerge on top of the standings after sharing such with Meralco.
“Very proud of this kid,” expressed the champion mentor moments after the match witnessed by fans live at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Victolero disclosed that he had actually spoken to Wong in particular upon learning that Magnolia will miss the services of Calvin Abueva for a while.
The ‘Beast,’ known for his durability, will be out for a few weeks after suffering a calf injury during their 96-93 conquest of TNT last Friday.
Abueva being out bore a much bigger hole to the Hotshots’ three-spot, with Rome Dela Rosa sidelined as well due to hamstring issues.
“I talked to Adrian,” he said. “After nalaman namin si Calvin, hindi siya maglalaro for two to three weeks. So I talked to him, because on the start, noong nakuha namin siya, I told him na we will not rush Adrian.
“We will be patient with him, because we got him in the middle of the conference, we want him to adopt the system, the chemistry. But now, we need him eh. So I talked to him to step up, to know the system right away.”
Thus, Victolero’s talk with Wong, which in the end made him satisfied and at the same time impressed with how the Ateneo de Manila product has adapted to their ways upon the advice to learn as much as he can right away.
“I’m very happy,” he said.
“Because you know, sabi ko nga, he has a high basketball IQ. Sandali lang, na-adapt niya na ‘yung gagawin namin, ‘yung game plan namin, and he contributed a lot on this game, especially on defense.”
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