BRANDON Bates may just be a rookie, but he feels he’s ready for the PBA Philippine Cup Finals atmosphere in his first title series with Meralco against mighty San Miguel.
That’s what beating Barangay Ginebra – and silencing its loud fans – in the semifinals will do to your confidence.
“I love it, though. I love hearing the crowd,” Bates said of the Ginebra crowd. “I love whether they’re cheering or booing me, I’m a bit of a narcissist, so I love the attention. I love that sort of stuff.”
The jeers have prepared him for the Beermen.
“I think so,” said Bates, the 8th overall pick in the 2023 PBA Draft. “One-hundred percent, especially playing against Ginebra. They’ve got the biggest fanbase in the PBA, so it definitely helps coming into the finals.”
But the 6-foot-8 Filipino-Australian big man knows he’ll still have his work cut out against someone who’s two inches taller, several pounds heavier, and has seven more MVP trophies than him – June Mar Fajardo.
“Scared,” he said with a laugh about facing SMB before turning serious. “Not actually scared. Excited, super excited. Excited trepidation – that’s the best way to describe it.”
“Especially as a rookie, I’ve got a lot of thoughts going on up here. I do feel, at times, overwhelmed,” the former La Salle stalwart admitted.
“But it’s just looking around the bench and seeing we’ve got some veteran presence, so many guys who have been in these situations before, so it’s very comforting to know that they’re there. If they can make it through, I can make it through,” he was quick to add.
Bates has so far delivered when it mattered, anchoring the Bolts’ defense in Game Seven of the Final Four where he hauled down 13 boards and blocked six shots to spark the team’s 78-69 win.
But he feels he has plenty more to prove.
“I don’t think I deserve anything. I think I have to work for what I’ve got. Nothing is ever given to you. You always have to work as hard as you can. I don’t think I’m owed any minutes. I think it’s up to me to prove that I deserve those minutes,” Bates said.
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