ANGELES CITY – Norman Black is one proud father seeing how Aaron is off to a good start in his PBA career.
The young Black has been holding his own coming off the bench for Meralco, his shining moment as a rookie coming in the Bolts’ 109-104 overtime win over the Magnolia Hotshots on Tuesday in the Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation gym.
The rookie guard finished with 16 points and was part of the fourth-quarter crew that battled a Hotshots unit that featured veteran and pesky guards in its backcourt.
He was 6-of-10 from the field and had four rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes of play. The Ateneo alum was also 3-of-6 from three-point range, hitting one from top of the key midway through the extra period.
Black said it was good to see his son working hard and coming into his own, given the pressure he carries of having to play under his father in his rookie year.
“You don’t really know what to expect. Aaron has been really playing well in practice. And he shows a lot of poise,” said the Meralco mentor. “He protects (the ball) very well and he can knock down an outside shot.
“So I’ll give him a chance because he’s playing well. Sometimes he’s a little bit hesitant because he’s my son, but of course, you hear whispers that he’s playing because he’s your son. But at the same time, he’s a pretty good player.”
But it’s still too early in the Bolts’ campaign, and Black has been on Aaron a lot, telling him there’s a lot of room for his improvement.
“I think he has a lot of room to grow,” added Black. “He just have to continue working hard, keep his head on straight, and not to get too ‘yabang’ and still focus on what he has to get done.”