Every season, All-Star games have always had snubs
This season’s All-Star game is an unprecedented event, as it will span three-days and three venues. Moreover, 49 of the finest cagers are set to take part in the three All-Star Games that will pit Gilas Pilipinas against the region’s finest.
But even with the number of superstars that will be playing in the game, there are still players that were not included in the select group. One of them is the high-flying Chris Newsome, a sophomore in the league and last season’s Rookie of the Year.
Newsome, 26, helped lead the Meralco Bolts franchise to its first Finals appearance during the 2016 Governors Cup, posting norms of 12.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists for the season. Though the Bolts struggled in the first conference for the year, the 6-foot-2 swing man, who can play three positions, raised his game to the tune of 15.3 markers, 7.1 boards, and 5.4 assists during that span.
Though he accumulated star numbers, Newsome understands that that is only one part of the All-Star selection equation. It’s another thing to gather the votes.
“No hard feelings. I understand how the voting goes. Fans vote for who they’re favorite players are and I understand that Meralco is not yet one of the most popular teams in the league
“I can see why the players that are there are there because they have been established for a long time or they play in a popular team like San Miguel or Ginebra,” the former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle shared.
For the fourth overall pick in the 2015 Draft, he stressed that being selected to the team would have been a great addition to his resume, but his sole focus right now is to win that elusive championship — a title that has failed to reach the Meralco offices in Pasig City since the team’s inception back in 2010.
“It’s not really a big deal. If I was selected, it would’ve been great. It’s always nice have that in your resume but at the same team, it’s not something that I’d dwell on. In all honesty, my main focus is to win a championship with Meralco,” the Filipino-American confessed.
“If I make it, it’s great. If not, it’s fine too because I could use that time to focus on what we need to do at Meralco to win a championship.”
And with the Bolts’ string of great performances to start the 2017 Commissioners Cup, the sophomore is hoping that it gets the attention of the national fanbase.
“I hope that the Meralco fanbase grows [because of this].
“As of now, the Meralco employees have been really supportive of us. Even though they might not be here, we know that they are at their homes cheering for us. In our practices, they’re always there cheering for us, wishing us well. They know what’s going on. Even if they don’t show in the arenas, we know that they are there,” he concluded.
