JOREY Napoles knows the disadvantages that comes with him coming from a small program such as Technological Institute of the Philippines.
"Hindi kilala ang school namin. Hindi ako nanggaling sa UAAP o NCAA, kaya alam ko na dito lang talaga ako makakapagpakita kung ano ang kaya ko, kung pwede akong pumasa sa tingin ng mga coaches," said the 6-foot-3 forward.
But rather than letting that be a hindrance to his PBA dreams, Napoles shared that it further motivates him to outwork his fancied peers, one that he made sure of doing in the two-day 2018 PBA Gatorade Draft Combine.
"Palaging sinasabi ng coaches ko na kahit di ka galing ng UAAP or NCAA, kailangang higitan mo yung mga kasabayan mo ng ten times o higit pa para ma-impress ang ibang coaches," he said.
"Yun lang naman ang nasa isip ko, na ibibigay ko lang ang laro ko."
Though only a handful of coaches know Napoles' game, there's no question about his abilities competing in the PBA level, especially with how he performed in the PBA D-League.
The 25-year-old averaged 10.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks with Marinerong Pilipino in this past Foundation Cup, earning him a candidacy for the Conference's MVP award.
Despite those numbers, Napoles is keeping his expectations tempered ahead of the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft on Sunday.
"Hindi naman ako naga-assume eh. Pero sa akin lang, ipapakita ko lang yung 100-percent ko, kung hindi 200-percent para maka-akyat ka," said Napoles, who is hoping to be picked by Phoenix and team up with his idol Calvin Abueva.
"Kung mangyari yun, malaking karangalan yun kasi idol ko si Calvin. Lagi ko siyang pinapanood kaya sana," he said.
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