CREAMLINE head coach Sherwin Meneses could not help but let out a giggle when asked what Jaja Santiago-Minowa has brought to the 11-time PVL champions in just two games.
“Napapadali ‘yung laro ng Creamline eh,” Meneses said, summing up the immediate impact of the former league MVP in her brief PVL Invitational stint.
And it does not take much to see why.
READ: Jaja has Alas Women, Creamline on her radar next year
At 6-foot-5, Santiago-Minowa gives the Cool Smashers something they have rarely had in the middle: a towering presence capable of changing the complexion of a game simply by standing at the net.
“‘Yung team namin, hindi ganun kalaki. Knowing Jaja, sobrang nakaka-intimidate siya sa harap. ‘Yung presence niya talaga, sobrang hirap kung kalaban mo siya,” Meneses said.
That size has come with production, too.
Through two games, Santiago-Minowa has emerged as Creamline’s leading scorer with 31 total points, averaging 15.5 points built on 13 attacks and two blocks per game.
But beyond the numbers, Meneses has also seen the value of having a player with Santiago-Minowa’s knowhow anchoring the middle, particularly in making life easier for the rest of the Cool Smashers' defensive system.
“Siyempre, yung leadership and experience niya sa gitna, mas napapadali ‘yung defense namin ‘pag si Jaja ‘yung nasa harap. Marami pa siguro, kasi nakakadalawang games pa lang si Jaja sa’min na talagang magiging maganda pa hanggang sa dulo,” he said.
For now, Santiago-Minowa's stint with Creamline may only be a brief stop before her U.S. debut, but two games have already been enough for Meneses and all of Creamline to see what one of the most dominant middles the Philippines has ever produced can still bring to the floor.
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