THE long wait is over for John Ambulodto, who finally cracks a PBA lineup after six years.
A practice player starting last September for the Blackwater Bossing, Ambulodto gets the opportunity to finally show his wares in the PBA after being elevated to the active roster by coach Ariel Vangurdia.
The former St. Clare standout went undrafted from the PBA rookie pool in 2016 before bouncing around in different leagues including the MPBL, seeing action for the Manila Stars in the recent Invitational.
“Matagal ko na ring pangarap na makarating sa PBA. Siyempre sinipagan ko po kaya siguro nagbunga rin ‘yung pagsisipag ko at pagtiya-tiyaga ko. Masaya po talaga,” said Ambulodto, who averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Stars in the invitational tournament last December.
Although he kept his PBA dream alive all these years, the Sultan Kudarat native, 31, admitted he was contented with how his career was going in the minors.
“Nung mga first three years po siguro, tanda ko po na gusto ko pa rin (mag-PBA) kaya kung may malalaruan po ako katulad ng PBA D-League, naglaro ako, baka may makita man sila, pinush ko pa rin po.
"Pero nung mga sumunod na panahon, parang sabi ko, hindi na. Tinuloy ko na lang ‘yung paglalaro katulad sa MPBL. Nag-focus ako doon.”
John Ambulodto came up with some big games for Wang's Basketball in the PBA Development League
Last September though, Ambulodto’s PBA dream got a much-needed push as he got an invite to tryout for Blackwater. Eventually, he was given a slot in the team as a practice player by coach Vanguardia.
“Etong nakaraang taon, nabigyan ako ng pagkakataon na magpakita sa tryout sa Blackwater. Okay naman po at pinapunta nila ako. Doon na nagtuloy-tuloy. Kailangan ko mag-tiyaga,” said Ambulodto.
Vanguardia said the 6-foot-5 Ambulodto will be vital for Blackwater especially on defense during the import-laden conference.
“Since the start, he's been with us in preseason as practice player. He had commitments with Manila sa MPBL kaya we weren't able to put him in the lineup.
“He’s another big body to defend imports like Barkley [Ebona]. We like his energy and hustle. I'm sure his hunger will be contagious to the team,” said Vanguardia.
Ambulodto joins the list of St. Clare players currently in the PBA active roster in Jammer Jamito and Aris Dionisio.
“Isa ako sa mga sinwerte. Masaya talaga,” he said. “Nagpapasalamat ako na tinanggap nila ako at binigyan ako ng (break). Gagawin ko kung ano ang kailangan at makakatulong sa team.”
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