STEPHEN Holt struggled to hit his shots during his PBA debut as Terrafirma suffered a setback on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Holt shot just 2-of-9 from the field and missed all his five three-pointers in the Dyip’s 108-103 loss to NorthPort. He finished with 11 points but contributed in other aspects with six rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
READ: NorthPort off to a winning start as Terrafirma fades late
The No. 1 pick overall said he made a conscious effort to impact the game in a variety of ways.
“I just wanted to do a little bit of everything, get steals, rebounds, assists, be aggressive. I was able to get to the free throw line… But tonight, my shots didn’t fall. I was 0-for-5 from threes," the 31-year-old Fil-American said.
“I thought I had some good looks. I was trying to fill it out with the team. I just have to be more aggressive, take some pressure off Juami [Tiongson] and Thomas [de Thaey], try to score more in this game.
"But again, my shots weren’t falling. I just try to do positives and other ways. But we fell short,” said Holt.
Holt sees his game picking up in the next outings now that his debut is behind him. The Portland, Oregon native said he worked hard during the preseason and he sees that preparation showing on the floor in the coming games.
“I know the spotlight is on me, obviously being the first pick and just the expectations that have been put on our group that we embrace. It’s just one loss. But I thought I had a good preseason. I got better every single game, had some high-scoring games. I’m not going to let this one game affect me.”
Shooters shoot
“I’m known as a shooter. I put the work my whole entire career. Being a pro is making adjustments. If my shots aren’t falling, I still have to shoot it, find ways to help the team out. I thought defensively, I played pretty well. It’s just one loss. We can’t put our heads down. It’s a long season,” said Holt.
Holt also credited NorthPort for the seventh straight victory against Terrafirma, but also sees a silver lining in the defeat.
“They played hard, made a lot of shots. There are some positives for us as a group. Obviously, mostly negative. We just have to watch the film, assess our game plan again, and keep working,” said Holt.
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