LANGUISHING in the San Miguel bench since being drafted by the powerhouse franchise in the PBA Season 48 draft, Troy Mallillin is happy to finally get a new lease in life in the PBA through Blackwater.
On Friday, Mallillin played the best game of his PBA career as he finished with 10 points, six rebounds and a block off the bench in the Bossing’s 120-98 win over the NorthPort Batang Pier.
READ: Barefield, Blackwater bench pound NorthPort for first PH Cup win
Mallillin played a grand total of 24 minutes and 45 seconds in the win, and not only did he play out his most productive game yet, he had a hand in giving the Bossing their first taste of victory in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup after losing their first two games in the tournament.
For the 6’4 forward, it’s all about proving his ability to play a role for a team – and coach Jeffrey Cariaso has been giving him plenty of chances to prove it, as he’s been averaging 18 minutes off the bench in the first three games this season.
“Timing lang din siguro, kinuha ako ng Blackwater, binigyan ako ng role ni coach pero kulang pa marami pa akong dapat iimprove,” Mallillin said.
“Bigay todo talaga, kahit saang bagay. Depensa, rebound. Kung ano ibigay sakin ni coach na role sinsubukan ko talaga yung sarili ko na i-push. Kahit mahirap, laban lang. Normal naman sa pagiging basketball player yan.”
While it’s not easy being let go by the team that drafted him, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Mallillin as because of it, he finally got his burn time on the floor.
The 25-year-old shared how he stayed the course even after being dropped as an unrestricted free agent – keeping his same fitness routine, playing in pick-up games just to stay in shape.
It paid off with a call from the Blackwater camp before this conference started.
“Na-UFA ako. Six months ako nabakante then biglang na-contact ako ng Blackwater, tinanong ako kung pwede ako mag try out so ayun nagtuloy tuloy naman,” he said.
“Papawis parin, pickup games, di naman ako nawala sa basketball. Kung anong routine ko sa San Miguel yun parin ang ginagawa ko
Proving that he can play given the opportunity, now it’s all about building on that trust and turning it into more productive outings for him.
Masaya na nakabalik ako dito sa PBA. Maganda ang naging welcome sakin ng Blackwater. Sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam sa first win namin pero marami pang kailangan iimprove,
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