HE HAS yet to play a single game in UAAP men’s basketball, but RJ Abarrientos is already out there putting up a show in the international stage.
Remember when the 5-foot-8 Gilas guard pulled up a three-pointer against Serbia and NBA veteran Boban Marjanovic in a thriller game at the Belgrade OQT?
Or when he bravely shot that crucial basket late in the fourth, for the Filipinos to battle back a 16-point deficit to take the lead?
The Serbians eventually escaped with a seven point margin, 83-76. But in Gilas' impressive showing against these hoops titans, Abarrientos himself chipped in nine. In their second game in Belgrade, against the Dominican Republic, he contributed six.
Sensational.
But for the 21-year-old, it’s all in a day's work.
What RJ Abarrientos learned from his Gilas stint
“Ang mindset ko lang palagi is paano ako makaka-contribute sa team, and paano magagawa ‘yung job ko, coming from the bench,” he told SPIN Life.
And while it was an honor matching up against some of the best in the world, Abarrientos focused on his game.
“Sobrang special ng moment na to dahil sa experience na makalaban ang elite players from Serbia and Dominican Republic. Boban is a great guy and a very humble person, pero syempre, pag nasa loob tayo ng court, ang mindset is ‘business’ kahit sino ang katapat, kailangan respetuhin,” he explained.
Abarrientos, one the youngest in the pool, is an incoming rookie for the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. He’s looking to taking everything he's learned from Belgrade to plays college ball.
“Wake up call sa amin ‘yung nangyari versus DR, pero kailangan naming mag-aral at magtrabaho at the same time, so, good thing for us kasi na-experience na naming ‘to sa big stage,” he said.
Before they left the bubble, Abarrientos also made sure to steal a shot with Boban.

"The Gentle Giant is very kind and humble," he said, as he posted their photo.
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