Columbian had a limited rotation when they battled the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup due to injuries. And so Dyip head coach Johnedel Cardel looked to Rashawn McCarthy to lead the squad.
“Without [JP] Calvo, without Red Celda and [Jerramy] King, I told Shawn, ‘If you can play forty-five minutes, Shawn, be a leader inside’,” said the second-year Columbian chief tactician.
“Yan sabi ko sa kanya, then he responded right away.”
And the 29-year-old responded beautifully to the challenge from Cardel.
McCarthy came up big, producing 27 points on a 70-percent clip from the field along with a game-high 14 assists and six rebounds. He led Columbian’s shock of the Beermen in overtime, 134-132, to snap their three-game skid in the tilt.
But as impressive as he had been, McCarthy also gave credit to CJ Perez and his good friend, Lester Prosper.
Prosper finally felt what it’s like to win in the PBA. He had 40 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Perez supplied 34 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
The import was a huge factor in Columbian’s early double-digit lead, scoring 20 in the opening frame alone. Meanwhile, Perez struck the dagger in SMB through a tough lay-up with 12.7 ticks left in the game.
“Celda’s down, Calvo’s down, Jerramy’s still coming back from his injury. So, of course, I’m one of the older guys on the team, so they wanted me to be a leader. And it wasn’t just me – CJ played well, Lester played well,” McCarthy said.
Sunday marked the second time that the Dyip have beaten the Beermen this season, with the first one coming from the Philippine Cup last January. For McCarthy, it only shows that Columbian can be on par with the best.
Still, the process of developing and learning continues even after the huge victory, McCarthy quickly added.
“It’s a big win, it’s a big win. It just shows us that we can compete at this level,” said McCarthy, himself a former Beerman.
“But we just gotta be patient and trust each other more on the court, and just continue to learn and build.”
