Every time Scottie Thompson hauls down a rebound, the entire arena pops as if someone had thrown down a thunderous slam dunk. It’s a sight in itself.
In just three short years, the 6-foot-1 product of University of Perpetual Help System DALTA has endeared himself to the Ginebra faithful, as he embodies the Gin Kings’ culture of Never Say Die.
During the Finals series, Thompson soared over taller players like June Mar Fajardo, Renaldo Balkman, and Arwind Santos. As the dust settled, he ended up with averages of 10.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, leading Ginebra to their first Commissioner’s Cup crown in 21 years.
For Thompson, he knew that he had to put his body on the line for the Ginebra faithful to earn their respect.
“Sobrang blessed first of all nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng teammates ko, sa mga veterans, kila kuya LA [Tenorio] and kuya Mark [Caguioa]. Talagang on and off the court sila ang naging mentor ko.
“Sobrang sarap na nakuha namin ‘yung championship namin. Sobrang blessed ’cause nakuha ko ‘yung MVP, wala sa isip ko ‘yun pero ‘yung championship talaga ang target namin,” he shared.
More importantly, through Tenorio and Caguioa, he was able to learn how to embrace the Barangay.
“‘Yun ang pinakaiisip ko, ‘yun ang motivation ko, yung mga nanonood ng mga fans, ‘yung galing pa ng malalayo, pumupunta lang para sumuporta sa amin. Nilagay ko yun sa isip ko, ‘yung ibang fans, umuutang pa para makabili ng ticket, para makapanood talaga ng championship. Deserve talaga nila to, para sa kanila to,” expressed the 25-year-old.
“Kaya umangat ang laro ko kasi ginawa ko silang inspirasyon.”
With the mindset he has for each game, decorated head coach Tim Cone believes that one day, Scottie Thompson will be one of the greatest players of all time.
“He really exemplifies that Never Say Die attitude. His energy is always there. You don’t get to see him in practice but he’s like that in practice, too. The stuff he does in games, he does in practice all the time. I can talk about him for hours but he’s a real special kid. And I just think, again, he’s just scratching the surface of how good he’s going to eventually be,” beamed Cone.
“He might go down as one of the true greats in the PBA.”
