Damie Cuntapay is keeping his outside shooting skills intact this season.
And he showed it during the game against Colegio de San Juan de Letran on Wednesday, which they eventually won via a 91-77 beatdown.
During the game, Cuntapay shot an effective 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, alongside 85.7 shooting from the field. And this was because the 6-foot-5 center of the Red Lions was practicing his outside shooting every day.
This way, he won’t miss the chance to take every outside shot when he has confidence in himself.
“Pinractice ko naman ‘yun. So ‘pag hindi siya pumapasok, parang walang kwenta ‘yung pina-practice ko,” said Cuntapay.
“Kaya talagang ititira ko ‘yun kasi alam kong pina-practice ko siya, so ‘yun, pumapasok naman. So keep on practicing lang dun sa outside shooting ko.”
He was also the second-highest scorer of the game, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, and an assist.
Now moving past his previous antics, Cuntapay is currently showing the kind of maturity that head coach Yuri Escueta wants from him. And he is now stepping up and helping his teammates calm down from the bench, as seen in the game against the Knights.
For him, he just promises to keep his “extra-curriculars” in check.
“’Yun nga eh. Sabi ni coach [Yuri] bawasan ko ‘yung antics ko, ako nga ‘yung tinatamaan kanina. Pero sabi ko nga, important ‘yung game na ito, hindi pwedeng mawala ako. So ‘yun lang [tinatatak] sa isip ko, na kailangan ‘wag ko na lang pansinin, tapos bawian ko na lang sa laro,” the former San Sebastian Staglet said.
“Kasi dun naman, ‘pag nanalo naman, kami masaya lahat, so ‘yun lang. Siguro kay coach Yuri [Escueta] na antics… Sana happy siya na ‘di ako bumawi ngayon. Pero mabait na ako, ‘di na ako babawi talaga – sobrang bait ko na.”
Moreover, Cuntapay said that this win is a huge boost for the team.
San Beda now has a good chance for a number two spot with an 11-5 record in the fourth spot – same as Lyceum of the Philippines University’s 11-5 win-loss slate.
“Sobrang laki ng impact ng game na ‘to kasi parang ito na ‘yung booster namin papunta ng top two,” pointed out Cuntapay, who is averaging 5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game this season.
“Kasi may chance pa kami mag-top two, and ‘yun sa mga next two games namin, dadalhin namin itong panalong ‘to, and keep on focusing lang.”
