Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. really loves big moments.
The 26-year-old was the brightest star on Wednesday night, steering his Blackwater Elite to a thrilling 108-107 win over defending champs Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for a 2-0 start in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Park,s Jr. finished with a PBA career-high of 28 points, including 10 of Blackwater’s 14 points in the overtime period, where he buried a pair of big three-pointers. He also collected three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 41 minutes.
“I love playing big games, and I love playing against great competition,” he said. “Ginebra’s one of the best teams. Just having that crowd and the environment too is great.
“Today was just the breaks of the game and we ended up with the win.”
The three-time ABL Local MVP clearly showed that he can take over when badly needed. And he himself is happy to showcase his ability as a clutch performer, as he felt that he proved wrong the doubters who say he cannot rise in the endgame.
Parks, Jr. received criticism when he only managed to split his freebies instead of sinking both during the latter part of their match versus the Meralco Bolts last Sunday, in the mid-season joust’s opener. The Elite still bagged the win, 94-91.
“At least I showed one part of my game that… You know, people say I wasn’t clutch last time with the free throws and now what? I made shots, so now it’s just up to get better,” said the product of National University.
The young Elite are now off to a good start in the conference. They have a chance to extend their streak to three versus Columbian Dyip this Sunday. And for Parks, Jr., they are only looking to win over the Dyip, who are now 0-2.
“This win won’t mean anything if we don’t win on Sunday. It will just cancel out,” said the second-generation star.
“We just have to keep growing from here.”
