Confidence is the key

Career night for Allein Maliksi. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

You hear the word in a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) venue when a player hits his stride and starts to make big shots in succession or in clutch scenarios.

“May kumpiansa (He has confidence),” the coaches whisper along the sidelines.  Kumpiansa seems like a liberal Tagalog translation of confianza, another Spanish word that has made its way into our conversation over time.

But it is a basketball term as well and last Saturday’s doubleheader at Ynares Center in Antipolo showcased two players who do have that confidence to shoot at will or when the game is on the line.

First, there’s Star’s Allein Maliksi. 

He may not strike you as the usual aggressive sharpshooter given his cool demeanor.  But he does have a mean three-point shot that the Hotshots have grown to rely on in their post-James Yap era. 

After a dismal shooting stretch in an overtime loss against Alaska, Maliksi has been on target of late, hitting shots that have created momentum for his team. 

He scored 26 points against Blackwater, anchored on 10 out of 17 attempts then followed it up on Saturday with 25 versus Meralco, hitting nine of 15 tries that included five made triples. 

Maliksi’s teammates know he is on a roll of late and have made him their first point of attack. 

Paul Lee has been creating opportunities for Maliksi, driving hard to the basket and then kicking out to his teammate. This trust in Maliksi’s shooting has rubbed off on the other Hotshots and has given them a three-game winning run with one game left heading into the next round.

The second shooter oozing with confidence is Alex Cabagnot of San Miguel, who just knows how to make the big basket when his team needs it. 

Against TNT Katropa on that same Saturday, Cabagnot created the separation to drain a three in the endgame and give the Beermen breathing room to take home their 10th win in 11 starts.

Maliksi and Cabagnot’s confidence are clearly results of the work they have put into shaping their games. 

They have had off nights of course but these kinds of players will remain threats because they can strike at any time. 

If you play against them, you have to locate them even if they’ve been missing their first few attempts. 

Once they’ve gotten the distance, they could hurt you with one shot that will trigger their confidence.