LEAVING is not a bad thing - not always, at the very least.
For Benilde transferees Raffy Celis and SJ Moore, to be exact, moving on from their former teams meant getting a better foothold in the collegiate ranks.
“Nakukuha ko naman yung laro ko, so sakto lang. At least, better dito,” Celis, who averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in five minutes in his first and only year for Ateneo in UAAP Season 86, told SPIN.ph.
For his part, Moore - who was a seldom-used rookie as well for University of Santo Tomas with norms of 2.4 markers and 2.4 boards in seven minutes during Celis' short stint in blue-and-white - is grateful to finally be out on the floor, but is also continuing to work harder to eventually earn more minutes.
“'Di pa masyadong contented. Magwo-work pa 'ko para ma-earn yung minutes ko,” he said.
The two talented transferees proved to be key contributors in the Blazers' run to the Playtime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup quarterfinals, where Celis even gave two-time defending champion University of the Philippines a good scare, as his would-be game-winning triple try just went in and out.
READ: Topex says NCAA just proved it can still hang with UAAP
In all, 6-foot-3 Celis posted per game counts of 5.9 points, 2.9 boards, and 2.0 assists in 20 minutes, while 6-foot-2 Moore had 4.5 points and 3.0 boards in 15 minutes.
Chance from Charles
Both players also sang the praises of head coach Charles Tiu, whom they credit for giving them their confidence back.
“I’m so blessed na 'di kami pinapabayaan ni coach Charles,” said Celis, who was always a versatile forward even from his time in Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu.
“Ngayon po, mas may nagagawa ako dito sa Benilde kasi binigyan po ako ng role ni coach Charles lalo na 'pag sa transition,” said Moore, who once wowed watchers of NCAA Juniors with his high-flying act for Arellano.
“Di tulad sa UAAP na may tig-iisang roles kami na yun lang dapat talaga at hindi dapat i-break,” the ex-Growling Tiger added.
With three seasons left with the Taft-based team that granted them this golden opportunity, the duo is as motivated as ever to help the Blazers get over the hump of close-but-not-quites in the past four seasons.
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