EARLIER in the year, Brandon Bates was holding mugs and glasses in a coffee shop in Sydney, Australia.
Fast forward to now, and he was holding his ground against seven-time MVP and 10-time champion June Mar Fajardo in Game 1 of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
READ: Scrappy Meralco deals San Miguel a shock loss in Game One
Just like he did in a six-block, 13-rebound breakout performance in the Game 7 that pushed Meralco over the Ginebra hump and into the championship round, the 6-foot-8 big man made his presence felt with four swats and four boards to help the Bolts pull off a shocker.
No running from the grind
Until now, Bates is at a loss at how much his life has changed. He's not complaining, however.
After all, he was always used to the grind - be that for coffee or on the court.
"Right before I was drafted, I was making coffee. I was up from four in the morning to four in the afternoon, whole day shift," he shared with SPIN.ph.
The now-27-year-old was also a working student attending classes in an Australian university with the hopes of becoming a teacher during those days.
"It's amazing. Far cry to what I'm doing now," he continued.
After getting drafted eighth overall by Meralco in the 2023 Draft, Bates, of course, had to move back to the Philippines. All of a sudden, he was a barista no more and a baller yet again.
"I'm not done with my degree. I'll probably continue when I move back home, but I'm not really looking forward to that yet. I just got here," he said.
Meralco's newfound energizer
The former De La Salle tower has put up averages of 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds thus far in his first season with the Bolts. And while he remains fond of his old routine inside the coffee shop, he still wouldn't trade that for what he's doing now.
"I miss making coffee so much. I fell in love with the simplicity of doing it," he said.
"I never saw myself playing in the pros. It's still like a movie for me. Before, I only played mostly recreationally, so it's a big difference. But basketball has given me many opportunities like going overseas and seeing countries I've never seen before."
As he was helping people get some pick-me-up in Australia, Bates would've never thought that soon enough, he'd be going toe-to-toe with the likes of Fajardo, Christian Standhardinger, and Japeth Aguilar.
And yet, here he is.
"It's crazy! Months ago, I was brewing coffee. Now, I'm in the finals!" he exclaimed.
It may even get crazier moving forward, especially as he and Meralco just got the first step in the race-to-four title series.
"We drew first blood, yes. And it's only the beginning for me," he said.
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