PLAYING in front of his family for the first time in the UAAP has brought the best out in Jasper Parker.
An inspired Parker scored nine of his 18 points in the final quarter to lead Far Eastern University to a 79-63 win over the University of the East Red Warriors on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 5-10 guard made a name for himself during his time in the Cesafi in Cebu, but he re-introduced himself to Manila fans during a 30-point FEU explosion in the final quarter where he contributed two backbreaking three-pointers.
“Yeah, I have to say I had a lot of inspiration today with my family here. We just needed to step up in the second half so I just felt like there had to be something done,” said Parker, who also added eight assists to his name.
“We're from Cali. My family is from Cebu. I'm the only one here right now. My dad came around Friday by himself. The rest of the family came Saturday,” he added.
His family is scheduled to stay in Manila until the Final Four, giving Parker all the more motivation to lead the Tamaraws (6-6 win-loss) to the playoffs.
“They'll be here until the 24th of November, just in time for the semis. Perfect timing. I hope so. We have two games left and these are definitely big games for us,” continued Parker. “Hopefully, we get these wins for us to get to the Final Four.”
Aside from the inspiration, Parker credited head coach Olsen Racela who he said has been convincing him to be more aggressive on offense down the stretch.
“Coach has been telling me not to be afraid of taking the shot. My shots were there so I just decided to take them,” said Parker. “Coach told me I was being a little too passive so my being aggressive kind of helped the team out.”
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