IN the eyes of coach Tim Cone, San Mig rookie Ian Sangalang may not be flashy but he can certainly get the job done.
The multi-titled Cone was full of praise for Sangalang after splendid performances in back-to-back games earned the former San Sebastian star his first PBA Press Corps PBA Player of the Week citation.
They Said It!
“He’s fearless." San Mig Coffee Mixers coach Tim Cone on rookie Ian Sangalang
The 6-5 former NCAA MVP averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in San Mig's first two games of the PBA Commissioner's Cup as he continued to earn the confidence of the league's most successful coach.
“There was a reason he (Sangalang) was the consensus No. 2 pick in that (rookie) draft,” said Cone, who picked the rookie behind Ginebra's Greg Slaughter in this season's drafting.
“He was No. 2 and nobody else, nobody else I thought because he’s fearless," added Cone.
In so short a time, Sangalang has found his place in Cone's frontline rotation thanks to his nice touch around the basket, a willingness to bang inside the paint, and maturity rarely seen from a rookie.
Sangalang also picked up from where he left off in the Philippine Cup, scoring 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting along with five rebounds to propel San Mig to a runaway 91-75 ripping of Globalport on Wednesday.
Then, Sangalang fired eight of his 10 points in a critical fourth quarter run to help San Mig score a 90-80 win over Barangay Ginebra on Sunday night.
"He doesn’t play pretty, but man, he plays effective,” Cone said of his rookie sensation.
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