AFTER making his mark in triple jump, Agem Miranda hopes to do the same thing in basketball.
And in Asia’s first play-for-pay league at that.
Miranda is one of the 70 applicants who will be trying their luck in the coming PBA Draft at Glorietta in Makati this Sunday after coming off a respectable career with the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers.
Miranda emerged among the leading scorers for Team B-1 (Northport/Phoenix) in its 61-44 win over Team A-3 (Meralco/NLEX) in topping the 5-on-5 games of the just concluded Draft Combine at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
READ UE Junior Warriors star Agem Miranda sets new UAAP boys triple jump record
The 6-foot-2 guard finished with 17 points behind the 18 of Mythical Team member Kurt Reyson to finish the two-day event on a high going to Draft Day.
“Tumaas yung kumpiyansa dahil paparating na yung Draft day tapos nag-champion pa yung team namin,” he said.
Miranda has carved a name for himself playing the game he loves most, initially with the University of the East Pages in high school and then with JRU in college, before taking his act to the San Juan Knights in the MPBL.
But it was through athletics where his career first began as a two-sport athlete with UE during his secondary years.
Miranda was triple jump specialist in the track oval, where he excelled that he once registered a league record in the event with a leap of 13.45 meters on the way to winning the gold in the boys’ event of UAAP Season 80.
“One year akong nag track and field. Actually, sabay 'yun, basketball and at the same time track and field. Umaga nun may laro sa track and field and after nun, game naman sa basketball,” he recalled of that feat he registered in 2018 at the PhilSports track oval.
He’s not aware though, if the record jump still stands to this day in the UAAP.
That same season, the now 24-year-old guard finished in the Top 5 in the UAAP Juniors MVP balloting while playing for the Junior Warriors under coach Florence Conlu. CJ Cansino eventually won the MVP trophy.
But basketball is where Miranda’s heart is.
“Eto naman talaga yung gusto ko (basketball), and yung track and field is naging way ko lang para mapunta rin sa basketball. Siyempre yung conditioning, yung takbuhan sa track and field, ini-apply ko lang siya sa basketball,” he said.
“And since ito naman nga ang gusto ko and nagging maayos naman yung career ko ditto, ipinagpatuloy ko na rin ito.”
JRU's take-charge guy
Miranda became JRU’s take-charge guy in his final year with the school in Season 99 when he established a season-high 31 points in an overtime loss to St. Benilde.
The Heavy Bombers finished with a winning record of 10-8, but wasn't enough to make it to the Final Four.
As a former triple jump champion, Miranda said he’s also applying whatever he learned from the track oval to the basketball court.
“Yung quickness dun, yung explosiveness kailangan yun sa basketball. So ito yung mga na-apply ko (sa basketball),” he said.
Miranda though is no longer doing triple jump as he’s now focused on basketball where he’s aiming, hopefully, to gain a stellar career like what he achieved in track and field.
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