AS he arrived for his first practice with Magnolia in April after getting traded by Converge, Abu Tratter knew right away that he was surrounded by greatness.
After all, he was joining a perennial contender that’s tied for the third-most championships in PBA history with 14 titles.
Not to mention the Hotshots’ practice court was sandwiched by that of San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra in a swanky sports facility inside the San Miguel Foods head office in Pasig along C5.
“I’m really excited. When I stepped in here, I could already feel the atmosphere, looking at the San Miguel sign right in front of the building, being around the greatest teams in the league right now right next to you, seeing how they practice, being around everybody. You can hear them right here,” Tratter said.
“Knowing that you have such a tough competition around you, you want to strive to be better. So I’m very excited to improve,” he added.
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Not that he didn’t see greatness in the FiberXers, who have shown promise under coach Aldin Ayo, his college coach, who one can expect would make him feel at home, but Tratter feels he just fits Magnolia’s system better.
“I wasn’t really jelling with the system and I knew that coming into a team like Magnolia, players that can pass, veterans that can pass really well, some of the best shooters in the league, like kuya Paul (Lee), Aris (Dionisio), Mark (Barroca), even the young gunner Jerrick (Ahanmisi), they’re making it easy for me to score as well,” Tratter said.
“It’s not the fact that I’m not jelling with Converge. It’s just the fact that the system is not for me,” the incoming fifth-year cager out of La Salle clarified.
So the 30-year-old Filipino-American who was born in Siniloan, Laguna welcomed the change of scenery.
“Good atmosphere. Everybody’s energized. The veterans are very much into catching everybody up, especially the younger players, me and David (Murrell) coming in. Overall, I can’t complain. The atmosphere’s great.”
The 6-foot-5 big man has looked like he fits in the Hotshots’ scheme of things as he averaged 7.5 points on 55-percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 22.9 minutes over eight games in the PBA On Tour.
The seventh overall pick in the 2018 rookie draft finished third in the team in rebounds behind James Laput (10) and Calvin Abueva (9.8).
Tratter, though, is far from satisfied, feeling he's still away from the form during his best offensive season in 2020 in the Clark bubble where he put up 12.5 points on 54.4% shooting, 6.5 boards, and 0.7 assist in 27.5 minutes over 12 games for Alaska.
“Just improvements, a lot of improvements,” the 2019 All-Rookie team member insisted. “Getting back to the form that I was pre-Converge. Getting back to the swing of playing basketball and playing at a high level. I envision us going really, really deep into the finals.”
Just three months after his practice with Magnolia, Tratter has already seen flashes of what the Hotshots are capable of after they completed an 11-game sweep of the preseason tournament.
What more when he teams up regularly with their stars, including frontcourt partner Ian Sangalang, who only played three games in the PBA On Tour after a bout with hyperthyroidism?
“You can only imagine the length we can take when everybody’s healthy,” Tratter concluded.
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