Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE – Jio Jalalon offered no excuse for his scoreless showing in his Manila Clasico debut on Sunday.
Held to a paltry 0-of-10 shooting from the field, the rookie admits that his emotions got the better of him in Star’s 86-79 defeat to Ginebra at Philippine Arena here.
“I was too eager. I wasn’t ready when I came in, and I just wanted to help my team badly. That’s why when I got my first foul, I wanted to make up for it immediately. That’s my mistake.”
It was Jalalon’s first ever scoreless outing not only in his short PBA stint, but in his entire basketball career too.
Though he struggled to get his rhythm amid foul trouble, the former Arellano star still found a way to rack up six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
“My priority is really defense,” he quipped.
Still, Jalalon is looking at this humbling experience as a valuable lesson in his young career, with Victolero offering him words of wisdom when the Hotshots returned to the dugout.
“He told me, ‘Now, you know.’ It’s a lesson learned for me that I was too excited. That’s what I learned.”
Jalalon is also keeping a piece of this game in his memory, as he hopes to fare better the next time he meets his best bud and Ginebra sophomore Scottie Thompson.
“I think this was better for me, that we’re guarding each other. Now, I’ll be more ready for what will happen next time we face off.”