JAPETH Aguilar proved to be a man of his word as he redeemed himself in the eyes of national coach Yeng Guiao, nine years after a first team-up gone wrong.
The reed-thin Ginebra forward made his reunion with Guiao a memorable one, unloading 16 points to go with nine rebounds as Team Pilipinas survived a scare from Qatar, 92-81, in a Fiba World Cup Asian qualifier on Monday night.
Aguilar said he hopes his timely heroics can atone for a 'mistake' early in his PBA career, when he all but forced Burger King to trade him just after being made as the top pick of the rookie draft, partly because of a misunderstanding with Guiao.
"You know, lahat ng mga naging desisyon ko sa buhay, I suffered from the consequence of it. Pero yun nga, talagang sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na mistake is only a mistake if you did it twice," said the high-flying Ginebra star.
"In my career, talagang pinilit ko na to do the right thing and it's sweet na makapaglaro ulit ako under coach Yeng," Aguilar added.
Looking back, Aguilar said he wished he had done things differently.
"Yung moment na yun, iba rin talaga yung mindset ko at that time. I didn't have time to think about it. Nag-decide na lang ako na I want to (play for the national team)," reminisced Aguilar.
"Past is past, pero I wish napag-desisyunan ko ng maayos yung nangyari."
But that was then and this is now, and the 31-year-old Aguilar vowed to make his partnership with Guiao sweeter the second time around - a relationship which he hopes would last more than a game this time.
The 6-9 forward said he is a lot more mature now.
"This time around, medyo mature na ako. Nag-umpisa pa lang ulit yung journey namin," he said. "Every time naman na matatawag yung pangalan ko for the national team, I'm really going to give my best.
"Like what coach Yeng said, sama-sama kami hanggang saan mapunta."
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