ATENEO never lost faith on Kristian Porter.
The rookie has no plans wasting that trust any time soon.
That fact remains true regardless if he missed three crucial treys in regulation which could have won the game against Far Eastern University on Sunday.
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“The coaches just said take the good shots, the open shots, and during those situations, that guy was me,” owning up to those misses.
“I shot them, I missed them, but at the end of the game, they told me they trust me and have my back no matter what.”
It’s a painful experience for the former Gilas Pilipinas Youth player, who nonetheless put up 11 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort for the Blue Eagles.
But he’s not crying over spilled milk - in this case, missed threes - any time soon as he takes this defeat and this bitter memory in stride.
“I’ll just take those learning experiences, keep working on my shots for the next game,” he said. “I take it as a learning curve. We overall didn’t shoot the ball that well. But that’s something we can work on, something we can improve on, and hopefully, something we can lean on in the future.”
Young Blue Eagles' flight plan
Porter was correct. Though he shot 3-of-14 from the field, it wasn’t just him who had his struggles.
The Blue Eagles ended with 21-of-75 (28-percent) field goal shooting, including 13-of-43 (30-percent) from distance, as well as only making 10 of their 23 free throws.
That tough shooting night condemned the Katipunan side to their fourth loss in five outings, with two more assignments coming up in the first round against red-hot University of the East on Wednesday then equally hard-luck National University on Saturday.
“Siyempre, we're down, but it’s not enough to make us kick the bucket. We’re not gonna give up. We’re gonna work hard and next game, it’s gonna be a different team. We’re gonna re-assess, keep on our strengths, and we’ll see how it turns out,” the 6-foot-5 slotman said.
And make no mistake: if Porter finds himself in the same situation again, don’t expect him to shy away from the limelight.
“I’m taking it,” he said. “I’m not gonna throw away the trust that everyone has put on me, so 101-percent I’m taking that shot and next time, I’m gonna make it.”
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