DALPH Panopio got his first taste of what it's like playing in a PBA game in a tuneup against Converge last Saturday.
It wasn't pretty.
The No. 3 pick of the Season 50 Rookie Draft had to earn every single basket that he made and Panopio’s first game didn’t end in his favor as the Bossing lost, 96-77, to the souped-up FiberXers.
“Personally, I’ve got to step up,” said the former Batang Gilas player after his first tune-up game. “It was a rough start I think. But in the second half, it was a bit better.”
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Save for Saturday’s loss, everything is positive in the Blackwater camp as far as Panopio is concerned.
Blackwater is counting on Panopio to be the missing piece that could bring the Bossing to the playoffs for the first time in seven conferences as he forms a potentially lethal backcourt with Sedrick Barefield, Christian David, and RK Ilagan.
The 25-year-old Panopio got a chance to play with David and Ilagan for the first time in a tune-up game last Saturday. And although Barefield didn’t suit up due to a shoulder injury, the Italy-born player likes their potential as a group.
“It was a great opportunity for me to play with CD (David) and RK. I didn’t get the chance to play with Sedrick because he’s a little injured. Even if he was out on the bench, he was still talking and he was really helpful.
“This is a good thing as a team. They’re really good guys. They are really a great group of guys. Mababait talaga sila. I’m not worried about the technical stuff on the court because Coach Jeff (Cariaso) got us. I’m not worried about anything. I think we are just going to work on it and we’ll be fine,” Panopio.
"We really, I would say, are a young team so it’s really good. It’s really nice to be in a good environment. We just got to keep working and stay consistent.”
Panopio welcomes the tuneup defeat as part of the team’s growth. The final score may not have reflected it but Panopio felt that the Bossing played better in the second half, especially in terms of teamwork.
“Honestly, I think it went really well and I think we found out that we got a lot of work to do. Definitely, the score didn’t go with us so I think it’s part of the game because we really got a wake-up call."
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