The Scoring Apostle may not be as lethal as he once was, but that does not mean he has stopped delivering for the Star Hotshots — his team for 13 long years now.
During his heydays, PJ Simon was often seen on the court for lengthy minutes to provide the points — averaging 23.2 minutes in his career. Still a starter in some games, he has taken a back seat to the plethora of young guards that the Hotshots have at their disposal.
Some stars, with their egos involved, usually sulk about the limited minutes they receive later in their careers. But Simon is different. Now at almost 40 years of age, he has become a mentor to the young Hotshots guards.
And it is a role that the native of Makilala, Cotabato wholeheartedly embraces as one of the team’s elder statesmen.
“Para sa akin, ine-embrace ko yung role na ganun eh, yung mentorship,” shared Simon, moments after Star’s 97-83 win at the expense of Mahindra Floodbuster at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“Kasi obviously, limited minutes lang tayo eh. Deserve nila lahat yun, kasi ang gagaling ng guards namin. Sinasabi ko lang sa kanila na ituloy lang nila yung work ethic nila at maging consistent sila every game.”
For the six-time all-star, what makes his role more exciting to fulfill is that the youth brought by most of their guards to the team rubs off on him. And more than that, he is impressed with the way the next generation of Star Hotshots play.
“Ang gagaling nilang lahat kaya nakakatuwa silang panoorin,” the seven-time champion raved.. “Minsan nakakatuwa rin dahil bumabata rin tayo. Nakikipagsabayan din tayo tumakbo sa kanila.
“And napakasaya kasi konting minuto lang ibibigay sa’yo, kaya kailangan ibuhos mo na lahat kasi napakarami ng guards namin.”
With the Hotshots now off to a blazing 4-0 start in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup, Simon is hopeful that he and his team will be able to sustain this run as the conference treads on.
“Naalala ko parang ito na ulit yung best start namin, 4-0. Hopefully magtuloy-tuloy,” enthused Simon, who is averaging 11 points per game this conference.
And Simon is also looking forward for their tough three-game stretch, which will pit them against Ginebra, San Miguel, and Blackwater, as those outings will prove to be good tests for the team.
“Yun yung magandang test sa’min, yung next three games namin,” said the 5-foot-11 guard.
“Yung key na lang namin is defense. Huwag sana kami magkanya-kanya. Hopefully lahat mag-step up kagaya ngayon.”
