AS good as Schonny Winston was in his first year in La Salle, the Fil-Am guard understands that he has to bring more to the table.
Schonny Winston on Archers return
Coach Derick Pumaren hasn't been shy in imposing that to the 6-foot-4 slasher even after leading the Green Archers in scoring with 13.4 points last UAAP Season 84.
And how did Winston address that? By going back to the United States and continuing to work on his game.
"I went back to the United States to train and expand my game, work with various trainers and stuff like that just to try to bring something new to this season," he said.
Winston did come back stronger upon his return, helping La Salle take the 86-65 win over University of Santo Tomas Thursday in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup where he poured 25 points on 14-of-15 free throw shooting, to go with three assists and two steals.
"It feels great to be back playing for La Salle," he said. "I missed playing with the guys and hanging with the guys, so I'm just happy to be back."
Pumaren, too, is ecstatic to have Winston back in the fold especially with how the 24-year-old played in his comeback.
"He did a lot for us in this game. He created a lot and attacked the UST defense. We were not having a good offensive night, but Schonny kept us in the game and kept control of the game by taking the ball inside. He was making things happen for us," the coach said.
Winston, though, knows that the need for him to do more than just scoring is more evident heading into UAAP Season 85 with leader Justine Baltazar already out of Taft and guys like Michael Phillips and rookie Kevin Quiambao thrusted into bigger roles for the upcoming campaign.
But rather than be bogged down by pressure, these changes only gives Winston positive vibes in Taft.
"I’m super excited," he said. "Mike is stepping up to a bigger challenge and Kevin is stepping up as well. Kevin is a great passer and Mike is super athletic, so we're gonna have a pretty fun and entertaining team this year."
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