IN JUST a span of five games, Ginebra rookie Kevin Ferrer has managed to turn himself into one of the most polarizing players in the PBA.
A verbal spat with San Miguel veterans, particularly former PBA MVP Arwind Santos, quickly thrust Ferrer into the spotlight in Philippine Cup Finals affair, which the Beermen took after five games.
The lanky rookie out of University of Santo Tomas clearly got into the nerves of San Miguel's fans as many found his aggressive, balls-to-the-wall style of play as brash and arrogant.
Ginebra fans, on the other hand, are loving what they're seeing from their young forward, as his toughness alongside his outside sniping address the squad's long-term needs.
Though Ferrer and Santos didn’t get a chance to settle their word war after the series, the former King Tiger got words of consolation from Finals MVP Chris Ross.
Ferrer and Ross were seen exchanging words and hugs right after Ginebra was awarded with the runner-up trophy, and the rookie got some encouragement from his team's number one tormentor.
"Kinausap ako ni Chris Ross. Ayun nga, sabi niya, 'Keep on doing that' na wag ako mag-back down at pagpatuloy ko lang yung ginagawa ko," Ferrer said after the match.
Ferrer, who won't be turning 24 until the final week of March, has repeatedly said that he has put his issues with Santos in the past.
But while he's leaving the shenanigans behind, he'll be bringing in a wealth of experience moving forward after getting a good taste of the finals in just his first conference.
"Itong first appearance ko sa finals sa PBA, charge to experience na lang ‘to. Masaya kasi first (conference) ko sa PBA finals agad," Ferrer said.
"Tinitingnan ko na lang, binabasa ko na lang kung anong makukuha kong experience dun," he added.