JUST like in the Playtime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, Luis Pablo delivered his best goods for La Salle up against the University of the Philippines.
Contributing 14 points and six rebounds, Pablo made sure the Green Archers were getting a fine finish for the first round of UAAP Season 88 - and entering Round 2 tied for third.
READ: La Salle frustrates UP to force three-way tie for third
Make no mistake, though, this wasn't a revenge game for the onetime Fighting Maroon.
"Especially with Kean [Baclaan] and Mason [Amos] and Jacob [Cortez], everyone is expecting na they're gonna perform against big teams. Most people don't have that belief in me to do big things against a big team, so I'm really thankful this happened," he told SPIN.ph, reiterating his perceived position as the most unheralded of Taft's quartet of talented transferees.
Rather than putting a personal bull's eye on the team he played for in Season 86 norming 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, Pablo instead went with positivity, dedicating his breakout game for Baclaan and Amos, his injured teammates who are out for the rest of the tournament.
"What really motivated me was Kean. Last night, he messaged me na, 'Pabs, out of all of us, ikaw talaga yung mag-step up dapat and you'll be the one to help the team to win,'" the 6-foot-7 workhorse shared.
"Hearing and receiving that from my teammate, sobrang uplifting na naniniwala talaga siya sa'kin. Kaya yun lang yung mindset ko going into the game. 'Di ko masyado iniisip na kailangan ko magpakita, kailangan ko to prove everyone wrong. Ako, calm lang ang contribute to my team now."
Pablo powers through
That, Pablo did, as he even played through multiple bandages on the left side of his face after sustaining a cut in the second half.
"Nag-uusap din naman kami ni coach Topex [Robinson] what he wants me to do for this team. Yun lang talaga yung main focus ko," he said. "Ngayon lang, mas hinigitan ko, knowing Kean and Mason are out. Wala na 'kong paki kung anong mangyari sa katawan ko. Gusto ko ibigay lahat, kahit magpakamatay sa court."
While he finally looked like the NCAA juniors MVP in green-and-white of old, he nonetheless slammed on the brakes of expectations that he is the one and only cure for the injury bug that has bit hard on La Salle.
As he put it, "With Mason, it's me stepping up, but it's also the whole team. In my position, it's me and Lebron [Jhames Daep] to fill in Mason's role. I talked to Lebron about this, sabi ko we have to step up together, we have to help each other out."
"Inalis ko yung mindset na since wala si Mason, ako na 'to. Since team nga kami, especially kami ni Lebron na ka-position ni Mason, we talk talaga as partners na kaya namin 'tong dalawa. It doesn't have to be scoring a lot, basta we have to make an impact every game and every time papasok kami."
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