Criticisms are nothing new to Mike Nieto.
He’s heard one too many since he was with Ateneo. And it reached a fever pitch with his inclusion in the Gilas Pilipinas pool as part of the five-man class selected through the special PBA draft back in 2019.
Eyebrows raised, and plenty of questions were asked whenever he got named to the final lineup for tournaments that the national team plays in. Indeed, the forest of skepticism towards the 23-year-old grew thicker.
It didn’t even stop there. There were some who wondered if he could bring his ways and thrive in the professional ranks, particularly if he could deliver well as a guard-forward given his 6-foot-2 built.
But then, he always knew how to handle it.
And Saturday night was a great example.
Nieto made it a PBA debut to remember. He scored a team-high 21 points in 32 minutes as a starter, as he led Rain or Shine to a 104-90 victory over NorthPort in the resumption of their 2021-22 Governors’ Cup campaign.
The three-time UAAP gold medalist with Ateneo shot 47-percent from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point distance. He also collected eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a turnover-less performance.
Quite a way to hush the doubters.
Photo by FIBA.basketball
“Ever since naman before, wala naman sa akin ‘yung personal glory ko e,” he said of his outing. “Alam nila Coach Tab [Baldwin] ‘yan, alam ng Ateneo family ko yan — kung ano ‘yung iutos sakin ng coach ko, gagawin ko.
“But you know, ever since the Gilas break, talagang binigyan ko ng tuon ‘yung workout ko kasi ever since college, alam naman natin na ayaw ng mga tao sa’kin sa Gilas ‘di ba? Marami ‘yan e.
“But I’m the son of Jet Nieto, And knowing my father, it’s either you prove them wrong or i-prove mo na tama sila. Natuto na kami ni Matt e. Simula six years old ganun na e. ‘Yun ‘yung pinakikinggan namin. And sanay na kami sa pressure,” he added.
Nieto definitely introduced himself in the PBA in the best of ways. And that’s because he went in with lots of motivations to draw inspiration from, one of which is finally living their dad’s dream of playing in the league.
It also helped that his mom Girlie is celebrating her birthday.
“I’m really excited to be honest kasi finally, dream namin ng kakambal ko ‘to e. ‘Di kasi natupad nung daddy namin ‘to nung naglalaro siya, and kami lang ‘yung naglilive sa pangarap niya,” he said.
“And kasi hiningi ng mom ko ‘tong larong ‘to kasi birthday niya ngayon e, tas kahapon birthday din ng bunso namin si LeBron kaya ‘yun lang, nakafocus ako and buti na lang naka-contribute in a positive way.”
Nieto couldn’t be any happier.
Photo by PBA Images
“And dream come true sa akin ‘to,” said Nieto, who was the Elasto Painters’ fifth selection in the special draft proceedings.
“At sa amin ni Matt, sa family namin, na andito na kami finally sa PBA.”
—
All PBA games stream live on GigaPlay. Download it now on Android or IOS.
The second game of each playdate is also livestreamed on SMART Sports.
