YOU know James Yap is set for a statement conference when you ask Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia about his team’s mindset heading into the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title defense and he singles out the ROS star’s progress with the team with a conference under his belt.
“James will be a different player this conference,” Garcia said in a chat with SPIN.ph after practice on Monday. “Medyo na-adapt na niya yung system.”
“Nagu-usap naman kami kung saan siya hirap tapos I remind him of what we need from him and what he needs to work on sa system namin,” he added.
Yap already put up decent numbers in his debut stint with the Elasto Painters, tallying 11 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, against just 1.1 turnovers in 20.1 minutes in 11 games in the Philippine Cup.
But the former league MVP admitted he put in some extra work to continue to jell with the perennial playoff contenders in his second conference with the team.
“Well, nagpakundisyon lang,” Yap said. “Focus lang every practice para yung mga hindi ko pa natutunan sa sistema ni coach Caloy, (matutunan ko).”
“Alaga lang and pinapalakas yung na-operahan yung tuhod ko,” he added, referring to his minor surgery that forced him to miss the season opener of the Philippine Cup.
So expect Yap to play a bigger role especially in the E-Painters’ title defense of the Commissioner’s Cup.
“Ready na for this conference, so sana maging maganda yung takbo ng team,” Yap concluded.
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