DIONCEE Holts finally had his breakout game of NCAA Season 92, thanking Arellano skipper Jio Jalalon for keeping the faith.
The American reinforcement had 20 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks as Arellano edged Lyceum on Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan.
Nearing the halfway point of the eliminations, Holts entered the game with averages of 6.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks and coach Jerry Codinera was naturally pleased with the sudden surge.
“Finally, he was able to play like he was a rookie,” said Codinera.
Despite his struggles, Holts said he makes it a point to try and follow the lead Jio Jalalon.
“Everyday is the same day for me. I always tell the team, Jiovani is our main guy. My job is to make everyone else follow. It works for us, don’t you think?” said Holts.
Holts said he is grateful to Jalalon for being a motivator through games where he was ineffective, and said his performance on Tuesday is a sort of birthday gift for the Arellano skipper.
“You can look at it that way,” said Holts.
“Everytime I have a bad game, if I have an off game, I always feel like I’m letting my teammates and AU down. Today, I just told myself that from here on out, let’s try to keep everyone better,” said Holts.
Codinera lauded the efforts of Holts, who remained focused despite his slump.
“Even though it’s late in the round, he is there for the team. He commits to double his effort. Ginawa naman niya with his rebounds and points,” said Codinera.
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