ANTIPOLO CITY — Jayson Castro gave RK Ilagan words of encouragement as the young gun took hard Converge’s close loss to TNT in Sunday’s PBA Philippine Cup action at the Ynares Sports Center here.
The decorated floor general was seen consoling the sophomore right after the final buzzer, with the latter emotional as he missed both of his free throws with 9.3 seconds left — that, after nailing go-ahead jumper moments prior.
“Na-hit niya ‘yung big shot noong huli, pero na-miss niya ‘yung free throws. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Okay lang ‘yan, part of the process,’” he said shortly after the Tropang Giga;s 86-83 victory at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“‘Para next time na mag-free throw ka, ‘yun ang magiging inspiration mo tsaka ‘wag na ‘wag kang mawawalan ng kumpiyansa.”
Castro was actually one of the reasons why Ilagan and the FiberXers went home hurt, a far cry from just two nights ago when jubilation was felt all over as they earned an overtime victory against contenders Magnolia.
He nailed the runner that gave TNT an 84-83 edge with 2.6 ticks left, which he made seconds after the pint-sized gunner muffed his bonuses.
The 35-year-old finished with 17 points, coming through in the clutch once more to lead the Tropa back to the win column after losing to Blackwater.
But then, it was also his sportsmanship that shone after the game, where he also gave the 25-year-old from Tondo a hug to tell him that he did not make any mistake, but rather a learning curve that will help his growth.
“Ang ganda ng kumpiyansa ng bata. At the same time, ang ganda ng mga clutch shots niya. So doon siya maggo-grow, ‘yung mga mistake na ganoon.
“Pero, for me, ‘di naman mistake ‘yun eh. Learning process ‘yun,” said the seven-time PBA champion. “Siyempre as a veteran, nagawa ko rin ‘yung mga mistake na ganun before, and doon ako natuto.”
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