JIMMY Alapag was motioning to Jeremiah Gray to slow the game down as San Miguel Alab Pilipinas held a precarious two-point lead, 91-89, against the Taipei Fubon Braves within the final two minutes.
Yet with his confidence riding high, the Fil-Am guard defied his coach's orders and went up for a three, swishing the ball through the net to put the Philippine side ahead, 94-89, with 1:52 remaining.
Head-scratching may Gray's play might be for others, Alapag could only laud the guts of the 23-year-old swingman.
"I told him in the timeout that it took some big balls to take that shot, but I’m proud of him for having the confidence to go and take it and make it," he said.
For Gray's part, it's just him sticking to his instincts and believing in himself to make the big time basket.
"Jason gave a good look and I made it in rhythm," he said. "I just trusted myself, got a lot of reps in practice, and I got it down luckily."
That basket proved to be the difference maker as Alab stopped the Braves, 101-96, to bounce back in the ASEAN Basketball League on Tuesday.
It was a confidence-boosting showcase for Gray, who struggled to get his bearings in his rookie season in the regional league.
"I didn’t really feel discouraged. Of course, it’s frustrating, but like I said, I trust coach. I trust his game plan and I just stayed ready for any opportunity that I can get. The opportunity came tonight," said the 23-year-old.
Yet it wasn't all Gray's fault as Alapag himself admitted in still looking for the right balance for his wingers.
"We’re actually overloaded at the wing position. When you look at Miah, Louie Vigil, and Jordan Heading, I want to give each of these guys an opportunity early in the season. I’m actually happy with the way Jordan’s been playing, but we wanted to give Miah also an opportunity to get some reps with the first group," he said.
Gray sure took advantage of that and picked the right time to have his best game to date as he drew the assignment of slowing down Fubon's famed import OJ Mayo.
"We wanted to try different guys on OJ just to try to make him as uncomfortable as possible and we felt that Miah’s length and his athleticism would hopefully affect him. He’s shooting so well from the perimeter and we thought that him being able to contest better than some other guys," said Alapag.
Hungry to prove his worth, Gray actually impressed for Alab, scoring 10 of his 17 points, six assists, and five rebounds, but more importantly, blocked Mayo's three-point attempts twice in the endgame to cap off his stellar showing.
"It was actually a big challenge. He's a very good player, an eight-year NBA vet, but the coaches trusted me to guard him tonight and I took the challenge head-on and did a pretty solid job," he said, taking pride on what he feels is his improving defensive game.
"I talked with one of our assistant coaches and he told me that I have to improve on my defense. Coming in this year, I wasn’t really a defensive player but I just changed my mindset and do whatever I can to help the team, and if it’s defense, I’m gonna do that. That was just my mindset coming in."
It's a welcome sight to see such a young cog in Gray develop his game further.
That's why as much as it presents a problem for Alapag to be able to keep wingers like Gray happy with their minutes, he's willing to take that task head-on as long as it benefits Alab in the grander scheme of things.
"Miah's been playing really well and working hard. It’s gonna be a challenge for the staff and I for the entire season because you have three quality wing guys who can all play and they all kind of bring something different to the table. But I think it’s a good problem for us and it’s something that the staff and I will have to figure out as the season goes along," he said.
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