PBA IMAGES
Whether Star makes it to the playoffs or not, import Joel Wright won’t be winless in his first PBA stint after all.
Wright made the game-winning play as his baseline drive with 0.7 tenths of a second left lifted Star over Meralco, a victory that not only snapped the Hotshots’ five-game tailspin but more importantly, kept the team in the quarterfinals hunt.
Though, Wright rescued Star from elimination with his last-second basket, he deflected the credit to his teammates.
“The team was responsible for that, I didn’t too much today, they all chipped in, everyone played with heart, everyone was out there fighting, I had the opportunity to close out what they’ve been doing for the rest of the game. I just tried my best, that’s all,” said Wright.
The 26-year-old forward finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds as Star finally won with him as the team’s import after going 0-4 since he replaced Marqus Blakely last month.
“It feels good, I’m not a kid that likes losing, I hate losing. I just have been trying my best since I’ve been here. I never gave up, I just kept always fighting hard.”
Wright also said his clutch shot, a one-handed looper over Meralco import Allen Durham was a move he usually does in practice and that despite Star’s losing record, the team continues to work hard.
“I worked on stuff like that, it’s not a miracle to me,” he said. “It was by design, Marc made a good pass, I was happy with the pass he made. We’ve been playing unselfish the whole time, and we’re gonna keep playing unselfish.”
“Everyday we practice, we’re always going hard. That’s one thing I can say about the team, even we’re losing we never took a day off in practice. We come to practice, we go hard, and we fight.”