Hotshots import Wright savors 1st PBA win

PBA IMAGES

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.”

Read more...