MANILA, Philippines — Rookie Brian Heruela couldn’t do anything but watch as Kia pounded Blackwater in the season opener last October.
Four and a half months later, Heruela, from a reserve to starting point guard, showed what he could’ve done by posting a near triple-double performance — 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists — to lead the Elite past the Carnival Saturday night in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Heruela shot 9-of-14 from the field to notch a career-high.
“For a rookie, he’s maturing well, he’s learning how to really be a point guard and he really has a strong body,” Blackwater head coach Leo Isaac said of Heruela.
Heruela couldn’t forget that particular Sunday afternoon when Blackwater, after holding a commanding lead, yielded to an 80-66 loss to Kia in their first meeting.
What he remembered most was Kia’s guard LA Revilla leading the comeback.
“For me, last conference, when I was a reserve, Kia won that game and he (Revilla) did real well so I just paid attention to contain him and the rest of their local players,” Heruela said after a 115-104 win.
Heruela helped reduce Revilla to almost a non-factor, scoring wise, with just eight points, including a scoreless output in the middle quarters.
The 25-year-old Cebuano native said the Elite were driven by the face that they trail the Carnival in the standings and their fellow expansion team had been able to take down the league heavyweights in San Miguel, Purefoods and Talk ‘N Text.
“Definitely, it’s motivation for us seeing them having more wins and them being able to beat the champion teams and definitely we wanted to win this ball game.”
Blackwater played with something to prove and took an 18-point lead in the second quarter before staving off several Kia rallies in the second half. And it was Heruela who kept the Carnival at bay with 18 points in the final half including 12 in the last quarter.
“I’m just thankful to be able to hit some shots for the team and thank God that we got this win,” said the former PBA D-League star. “I just focused on our team and in what department we can improve on.”
After picking up their second win in the season, Heruela vows the Elite are going to be even better in their next outing.
“This win is important for us because it’s a morale-booster. We’re looking forward to our next game because Alaska is a strong team so we’re going to prepare really hard and give our all.”
The 5-foot-10 Heruela is leading the league in assists with close to six per game.
“I always want to involve my teammates. I want to run the team and as a point guard I got to involve my teammates. Get them involved early.”
Heruela has been making a name for himself as a rising guard in the league and he attributes his steady climb to his veteran teammates.
“It’s been great for me and the rest of my team because we’re a young team, a new team and they’ve been there and done that and they’ve been giving us advice what to expect, how we should handle certain situations so they’ve been big for us and special for me.”
“He listens well, he takes our advices seriously and hopefully he will develop into a really good point guard,” Isaac said.