WITH Ginebra missing a few of its key cogs, Kevin Ferrer seized the opportunity to contribute in his side's 109-101 conquest of Alaska in the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup.
The sophomore out of University of Santo Tomas did a respectable job filling in for injured teammates Sol Mercado, Joe Devance, and Jervy Cruz as he made the most of the 25 minutes given to him.
"Sinunod ko lang yung sinasabi ng coaches. Less pressure din. Hindi ko na iniisip kung ilang minutes ako naglalaro, basta manalo kami, okay na yun sa akin basta nakakatulong ako sa team," he said.
Ferrer repaid coach Tim Cone's faith in him, dropping 11 points on a 2-of-4 shooting from threes, on top of four rebounds off the bench while also playing solid defense on Alaska's bevy of shooters.
His play may have paled in comparison to the eye-popping numbers dropped by Justin Brownlee and Japeth Aguilar, but his contributions are still welcome nonetheless as Ginebra begins its road to three-peat minus a number of players.
The 25-year-old Ferrer acknowledges how big of a shoes Ginebra must fill with the absences of veterans like Mercado and Devance, but if there's one thing the numerous championship campaigns have done to him, it's to ready himself whenever his number is called.
"Kailangan namin mag-step up lalo na ang laking kawalan sa amin nila Joe. Yun lang naman ang pinupuno namin. Kahit anong role naman ang binibigay sa amin, gagawin lang namin yun at ibibigay namin yung 110-percent namin para manalo yung team," he said.
But Ferrer knows better not to be complacent, as at 2-0, it's still a long way for the Gin Kings before they can get to the level they want to be in.
"Masaya kami, pero hindi kami dapat maging kampante kasi marami pang malalakas na team dyan kami na makakalaban," he said.
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