JHONARD Clarito didn't even get a second look from Yeng Guiao the first time the veteran coach saw him play in a couple of MPBL games with the San Juan Knights.
"I wasn't that impressed," admitted Guiao.
Who would, right? The Davao del Sur-born player isn't exactly uber athletic, spent his varsity career at De Ocampo Memorial College and, at 6 feet and two inches, looked too small to make a successful career at power forward but too slow to play guard.
But what he had was guts. Lots of it. And that became the trump card of a career that saw Clarito work his way up from Mindanao bush leagues to a small college in Manila to the MPBL and finally to the PBA by way of Rain or Shine.
But even after Clarito started making a name as part of the San Juan Knights' title-winning MPBL team in 2019, Guiao, then with NLEX, still wasn't impressed enough to draft him. That part was done by then Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia.
"What caught us was how he played sa San Juan during the MPBL Finals," Garcia told SPIN.ph. "We saw that kahit maliit sa pwesto n'ya, he didnt back down. So all he needed was to polish his shooting and play as a guard.
"He did that through his hard work."
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The 27-year old performed more or less like any No. 17 pick would in his rookie season in the PBA. He averaged 1.3 points on a 23.1-percent shooting clip and .8 rebounds in 19 games as a freshman at 5 minutes per outing.
As gloomy as the forecast was for his PBA career at that point, Clarito had two things going for him.
One, Guiao, who by then had returned to call the shots for Rain or Shine after six seasons with NLEX, was a coach known to give an opportunity to any player willing to work for it; two, Clarito was exactly the player willing to work for it.
"Inabutan ko na sya sa RoS after my transfer from NLEX. He was seldom used but he impressed me with his work ethic, and coachability," said Guiao, who, still, needed a little push from Garcia and his other deputies just to give Clarito a chance.
"I decided to insert him in the rotation on the prodding of my coaching staff. He started to gain confidence and understood his role for the team. Above all, it was his toughness, both physical and mental, that cemented his importance to the team."
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Making the most of every single opportunity, Clarito looked like a completely different man his sophomore season. His averages rose to 10.8 points and 4.3 boards in 30 games and he became a popular choice for the Most Improved Player award.
This season, Clarito has become an even more important piece in Guiao's lineup. He is averaging 12.08 points, 5.83 rebounds, and 1.42 assists in the Philippine Cup, helping RoS reach the playoffs for the fourth straight conference.
But none of that could've prepared anyone - not even Guiao or Garcia - for what Clarito did on Wednesday night in Rain or Shine's 92-89 quarterfinal win over NLEX, where he scored 20 points and grabbed an eye-popping 21 rebounds.
Those types of numbers you'd expect from a June Mar Fajardo or a prime Asi Taulava - not from a 6-foot-2 forward who isn't blessed with a great vertical leap and doesn't have the wide body to push people around inside the paint.
But, yes, he outworked everybody inside that shaded lane.
"I was pleasantly surprised, but not shocked," said Guiao when asked about Clarito's 20-21 game. "Somebody who works as hard as he does will [sooner or later] deliver a masterpiece in the course of his carreer. I hope there's more."
From the other end of the court, Jong Uichico stood as a frustrated witness to Clarito's career-defining game. The NLEX coach didn't sound like he was in the mood to talk about it a day later, but has one important instruction to his players for the two teams' do-or-die match on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
"Box him out."
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