Scotty Hopson is slowly building his reputation as a master of the four-point shot after using as much to lift Converge past TNT in Tuesday’s thriller.
The American winger confidently launched from 27 feet away – and against the defense of Glenn Khobuntin – and drilled it with exactly four seconds left to play.
And it was further proof of how good he is when shooting from that far.
For the uninitiated, he went 3-for-3 from four in their rousing Season 49 Governors’ Cup debut versus Terrafirma last August 21.
Hopson said then that he wasn’t working on that shot in particular, and it remains the same when asked if he’s had any conscious effort to fire from that distance, especially after going perfect from there in their first game.
For the well-travelled pro, it’s been always about letting instincts take the wheel during the most tense of moments – his Converge, at the time, was staring at a 95-92 deficit.
The team then went to him for the go-ahead bucket, which he nailed.
“I haven’t really worked on it much, to be honest with you,” Hopson told Tiebreaker Times moments after the game at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“When it’s crunch time, you know, I’m just kinda used to those situations. I’ve been in them all my whole career, and in situations like that, I just get calm and allow my instincts to take over. Tonight, I made a big shot,” he added.
It’s what the situation presented as well, according to him, and they all just took advantage of the extra arc being there.
That then led to the first game-winning four made since the PBA implemented the rule in regular games this season.
“Ideally, that’s not how we want to win. It’s just, you know, the game is situational,” the 35-year-old said.
“I’m glad the league put in a four-point play ’cause it allowed us to get a victory tonight because I made a big shot.”
It was, overall, another solid night for Hopson, who finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. More importantly, the FiberXers collected their second win in three outings to take the provisional lead in Group A.
Yet the Tennessee product is far from satisfied, offering that he and Converge could still “play a lot better” than what their record suggests.
“Yea, it feels good. You know, the thing is, we can play a lot better,” he said. “Like, even though we’re 2-and-1, I think guys are still kinda chomping at the bit, understanding that, like, we haven’t reached our ceiling or our peak yet.
“Our team and our coaches have only been together for like two weeks. A lot of these teams have had their core guys for years. So for us, we’re just tryna build day by day, and take the good with the bad, and keep punching.”
Growth, needless to say, is what Hopson looks forward to as the conference progresses. But there’s also another thing he’s excited about.
“Rondae’s a hell of a player,” he praised of Tropang Giga star Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who also tallied 32 markers with 15 rebounds and six assists but was stopped by Hopson himself when he tried to go for the win.
“We battled for 48 minutes tonight, and it was fun and competitive. And I know he’s looking forward to seeing me next time – just like I’m looking forward to seeing him again,” added the 13-year veteran with a smile.
