Jalalon greeted by his Arellano teammates. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Jiovani Jalalon admits that he didn’t really anticipate dropping 34 points against National University when Arellano prepared for the semifinals tiff.
“Di ko rin naman in-expect na ganoon yung ilalabas ng laro ko. Basta pag may laro, nage-enjoy lang ako at pinapakita ko lang yung best ko,” he said.
His glee was in full display on Friday in the Chiefs’ 94-85 victory over the Bulldogs that carried them to the 2016 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup Finals.
Aside from the scoring explosion, the Gilas cadet also added six assists and three rebounds in the victory.
Led by Jalalon, Arellano also pummelled NU in transition scoring 30 off fastbreaks and turning Bulldogs’ 22 turnovers to 17 points.
Jalalon is setting aside fatigue due to his loaded schedule and putting Arellano’s needs first.
“Kailangang maging matatag ang puso ko kasi pag wala ako sa court, yung ibang guards namin parang mawawala sa focus. Kahit pagod ako, OK lang sa akin, basta manalo yung Arellano,” he said.
That sacrifice has payed off so far as the Chiefs are looking like a well-oiled machine a little less than a month before the start of the NCAA Season 92.
That motivates Jalalon to keep on grinding, hoping that his team’s success in the preseason leagues will also extend to the upcoming NCAA season.
“Ilang beses na kami nag-champion sa mga summer leagues. Kumpyansa naman kami lahat. Basta pag may laro kami, pinapakita lang namin yung teamwork at samahan namin,” he said. “Sana nga makuha na namin.”