IT all started with a drop in the weighing scale, and the rest just felt right for Pao Javillonar.
Letran’s veteran bruiser wasted no time making his presence felt on Tuesday as he recorded his career-best 28 points and eight rebounds in his first game back as the Knights toppled the Arellano Chiefs, 86-79, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
READ: Pao Javillonar makes up for lost time, leads Letran past Arellano
It is an encouraging start for Javillonar and Letran as their improved 2-1 record is already a notable leap from last year’s embarrassing run - where it took them 16 games to taste their second victory, coincidentally also against the Chiefs.
“Big, big difference from our position last season itong performance namin so far, malayong-malayo, kaya thankful ako sa bagong sistemang dumating sa amin. Sa tingin ko, ‘yun ang naging gamechanger,” Javillonar shared with SPIN.ph.
Giving credit to where it is due, the 6-foot-5 big man owed it to coach Allen Ricardo and staff for bringing out his A-game early in his last playing year.
“Sila coach Allen ang nag-inject sa akin, sa amin nung motivation and kung ano man yun, inabsorb ko lang kasi alam kong makakabuti sa akin,” he said.
“For the longest time, kinailangan namin yung may magdidikta sa amin, and ito na yun. And ngayon, ako din as a team captain, kailangan maging role model talaga ako.”
While those were enough reasons for his improved game, it’s not all that for Pao.
His extra effort begun a couple months ago when he tried his luck in the 2024 PBA Rookie Draft, where he found his ‘moment of awakening’.
“Ang nagspark talaga sa akin is nung nagpa-draft ako sa PBA, naisip ko na iba na talaga dito, kailangan alaga sa katawan, disiplinado, trabaho na dun eh, dun tayo mag-lo-long term kaya dapat magsimula sa sarili,” he shared.
Javillonar was picked 19th overall by Converge but decided to play his fifth year in the collegiate.
For him the pros can wait, but working for the pros must begin now through nutrition.
From 105-kilograms, Javillonar managed to make it to 93-kilograms which served pivotal to his current performance. Safe to say, the best shape of his career.
“Nagbawas talaga ko ng timbang, nagtake ng whey, creatine, protein, banana, nag-invest ako sa nutrition, bumili ako sarili kong shaker, dun ko sinimulan,” he said.
“Nung pagpasok nila coach Allen, parang nag-evaluate lang ako nung dati kong build, una, nagpapayat ako kasi kailangan ko maging fit sa sistema.”
And while rewriting the Knights’ story is his main priority, Javillonar admitted he’s also committed to the side quest of getting himself PBA-ready.
“Gusto namin maka-back on track, maibalik yung legacy sa Letran, and itong present ‘yung magdidikta ng future sa PBA, dun papasok yung determination na mag-extra work, basta ginagawa sa training, mag-o-outcome sa laro,” he explained
Best part? His coaches are deadset on making him one, too.
“Pro-ready na yan, malaki impact nun [PBA draft] sakanya, nakikita ko talaga. Pao is Pao, talagang tinrabaho niya yan, hindi yan tsamba,” Ricardo said of Javillonar.
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