SEAN Quitevis may be the least experienced in TNT’s playoff roster in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
But the rookie guard is just as determined as the rest of the Tropang 5G despite being activated only on the final day of the eliminations prior to the playoffs.
“That’s the kind of challenge of being a professional, you just have to be always ready. Regardless of whether you play or not, you just got to stick to your routines, do what you do, and try to learn as much as you can from the coaches,” said the 26-year-old Quitevis.
A third-round pick of TNT – and its first in the Season 50 draft – Quitevis was initially signed as part of the Tropang 5G’s pool of practice players prior to the start of the mid-season conference.
Two months later, he finally got the call he was waiting for.
“Coach Chot (Reyes) just gave me two words and he said, ‘Be ready,’" Quitevis recalled when the reigning champion finally activated him last May 10 in TNT’s final game in the eliminations against Barangay Ginebra.
“And when a coach gives you that go signal, that confidence to play your game, all you can do is to play your heart out.”
Quitevis gave a good account of himself in his PBA debut, playing solid a 20 minutes of action and was a perfect 2-of-2 from the field with four points and three rebounds in a 93-86 loss.
The performance eventually earned him the nod of the coaching staff to crack TNT’s playoff roster and gave him a shot at playing for a championship with the telecommunication franchise.
Quitevis is grateful for the chance to join TNT after spending time with the team while still playing for Ateneo – with both squads sharing the same practice facility at the Moro Lorenzo gym.
“Honestly, it’s a dream come true. I’ve been around this team almost all my college years, and finally to get to join them, join their culture. It’s such a pleasure to be with them,” he said.
Friday night, the defending champions moved a win away from making it back to the finals with their 103-95 win over the Meralco Bolts to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series.
And Quitevis, the former team captain of Ateneo, could only hope he’ll get a shot at playing in a PBA title series despite playing in less than 10 games with the team that picked him up in the last draft.
“It would be a dream come true. I mean to win a UAAP championship, and hopefully, have a chance to win a PBA championship, man that’s all I ever wanted as a kid,” he said.
TNT has a shot of wrapping up its semis series with Meralco on Sunday in Game 6 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
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