BEFORE coming over, Collin Sexton talked to Filipino teen prodigy Kai Sotto who told him how crazy Filipinos are for basketball.
He saw for himself on Wednesday night.
“I didn’t realize that basketball was so big up here until I came over. But he’s [Sotto] been talking about it and I gotta make sure I tell him that he was right,” the Cleveland Cavaliers guard said on Friday during the AXA meet-and-greet at Makati Diamond Residences.
The 2018 NBA Draft eighth overall pick, who shares the same trainer and coach with Sotto in the US, was among 12,871 fans who witnessed Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup between San Miguel and Magnolia.
The atmosphere inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum convinced Sexton that the Philippines is indeed a basketball country.
“During the game, it just showed that they had a lot of heart,” he said. “The point guards were just playing really aggressive and they played the entire game.”
“They didn’t really get tired too much but you can tell that they played both offense and defense and that’s really what it’s about,” he added. “In the NBA, we have really good players who play both ends of the court. That’s great and it’s transferred over here. I was excited to be in their environment and watch the game.”
When asked if he was impressed by anyone during the game, Sexton in the affirmative, giving special mention to Magnolia guards Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Jio Jalalon and Justin Melton as well as the ageless Rafi Reavis.
“From Magnolia, all the guards were just pretty gritty and they played really hard. And they had a No. 4 [Rafi Reavis] and he was very, very good just because he didn’t do too much but he played his role and he just did what the team needed,” he said.
But it was San Miguel star June Mar Fajardo who left lasting impression on Sexton.
“For San Miguel, they had the big guy [June Mar Fajardo]. He was really good, 31 rebounds? Unstoppable. He’s what, a 6-time, 5-time MVP? So he was one person who really stood out and he deserved the MVP that night,” he said.
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