Midway into the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup, the Go For Gold Scratchers look like they have finally found their niche, as they have booked their second straight win on Thursday over Batangas-EAC Generals.
And the best contribution Go For Gold got came from Yankie Haruna.
The 6-foot-3 Filipino-American — who had been averaging just 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists prior to Thursday — exploded for 23 markers with five boards, three dimes, and three steals to lead the Scratchers’ to a 106-95 win.
“He’s been playing better,” lauded Scratchers head coach Charles Tiu. “We have some other leagues and he’s also been improving there. His energy is great, his athleticism. His outside shooting has improved so much.
“And the leadership role, he’s matured a lot. We made him the team captain of our CSB team so he’s definitely taking on that role. Hopefully, the decision making for him will still improve.”
But for the 24-year-old swingman, it’s all just a result of the work he’s putting in, as he is coming off a shoulder injury that caused him to sit out the rest of the NCAA Season 93, where the Blazers finished with a 4-14 record.
“In the beginning [of the D-League] it was rough for me coming off an injury. I missed last season’s NCAA. I’m just working my way up. Throughout the process I just grind it out,” he said.
“Hopefully all the work I did paid off.”
Speaking about the process of recovering from an injury, Haruna shared that it has brought him a lot of lessons, particularly in taking care of himself — especially now that he’s been given quite the difficult task.
“Sometimes you can go crazy in practice, and you never know… When you go too hard in practice, sometimes you don’t think what you’re doing. And out of nowhere you just hurt yourself,” he said.
“So what I learned from it is just be smart.”
The Scratchers are now up to 4-3, but even with the marked improvement with their level of play, Haruna still sees a lot for them to work on.
“In the beginning [of our game versus Batangas] we relaxed, so I guess we just have to stay consistent about playing hard and being aggressive. And hopefully everything works out for us smooth towards the end of the game.”
