CHRIS Hubilla wanted nothing more than to beat his former team, Mapua.
Just 10 seconds after the opening tip, he picked up his first foul, an early sign that his “gigil” to get one over the Cardinals would ultimately get the better of him.
That emotion eventually cost Jose Rizal University one of its key pieces in the final stretch, but thankfully for him his teammates carried the cudgels and towed the Heavy Bombers to a 65-64 escape over Mapua on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
READ: Sean Salvador three lifts JRU past Mapua in heated thriller
Hubilla finished with just two points, five rebounds, one assist, and three turnovers in just 18 minutes and 30 seconds of action, a far cry from his numbers when he was plying his trade as a rookie for the Cardinals.
“Personally, nangigil ako na gusto ko na kagad sila talunin, kaya ito yung naging result ng laro ko,” Hubilla admitted to SPIN.ph.
The added pressure was understandable.
After winning the title in Season 100 with the Cardinals, the 6-foot-4 bruiser had plenty of familiarity in Intramuros, including former teammates who were now on the other side of the court.
Adding to his so-called 'gigil' was how Mapua was the only team which beat them in the off-season.
“Iba yung gigil lalo nung natalo kami nila. Dun na nagsimula yung gigil namin na pag makakalaban namin sila, gusto namin na talunin na kagad sila,” he said.
But that eagerness quickly turned into foul trouble.
Three fouls in the the first half limited Hubilla’s minutes and kept him from finding his rhythm. By the fourth quarter, his night was over.
“Gusto ko pumasok pero nalimit ako dahil sa foul ko. Hindi ako makatulong,” he said.
For Hubilla, being forced to watch was perhaps more painful than his poor numbers.
“Marami akong realization. Marami akong iniisip. Hindi ako makatulong,” he said.
“Di naman araw-araw maganda yung ipapakita mo. Di naman araw-araw nasa loob ka.”
The pressure was amplified by the opponent.
“Iba din yung pressure sa akin. Kasi syempre, Mapúa nga eh. Kaya gusto ko talaga manalo at makapagperform lang maayos, which is hindi ko nagawa ngayon,” the Sorsogon native uttered.
Still, he refused to dwell on the setback.
“Hindi naman para ma-down tayo. May mga sometimes na mada-down tayo dahil sa bad games. Pero pagkina-umagahan, try to bounce back na, magtrabaho na para sa mga susunod namin na game,” he said.
That bounce-back starts with learning how to handle the attention that comes with being one of JRU’s players to watch.
“Isa na din ako sa player to watch. Kaya paano ko i-handle sarili ko pag dino-double ako? Paano ko i-handle sarili ko pag pinisipisikal ako?” he said.
With defending champion San Beda next on JRU’s schedule, Hubilla knows there is little time to dwell on his Mapua misfire.
“Try to bounce back na lang ako sa susunod namin na game,” he said.
And when the Cardinals return in the second round, Hubilla will have another chance to channel that same “gigil” differently.
“Magkikita pa naman kami sa second round eh. Baka maganda yung pakita ko rin.”
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