Photo by Glenn Michael Tan/ABL
BALIWAG — Playing as the villain to Alab Pilipinas, Singapore Slingers’ guard Josh Urbiztondo said that he truly was driven as he faced off against former teammates.
“We try to approach the game the same way every time because that’s what we do as a professional. But of course, playing against the Philippines, it just brings a little bit of spark to it and intensity. It motivates me. It was definitely fun playing against the Philippines and playing against my old teammates,” he said.
And on Friday, Urbiztondo showed why he’s one of the most deadliest gunslingers in the country as he torched the nets of Baliwag Star Arena here with his 4-of-8 shooting from threes to finish with 20 points, six assists, and five rebounds to boot the Philippine squad out of the 2017 ASEAN Basketball League playoffs.
“I was very inspired,” he said. “Playing in this crowd, it’s just amazing to come back and play in front of my wife, my two kids, and my friends and family. They came out to support, and it’s just a blessing. It’s just really special to play in front of them.”
Signing with the Slingers early in March, Urbiztondo shared that he had to deal with homesickness playing away from his family.
That’s why he truly cherished this chance to put on a show in front of his fellow Filipinos to help his squad advance to the Finals, even if it caused Alab Pilipinas’ demise.
“It’s not easy going overseas, going away and being away from your family. But coming back home, playing in front of these fans, it’s just truly a blessing. It’s a humbling experience,” he said as he prepares for his first championship series since his days with Ginebra in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
With Alab out of the title picture, Urbiztondo hopes that his fellow Filipinos will turn their support to the Slingers as he seeks to represent the country in the championship series.
“I’m fighting not only for me, I’m fighting for all the Filipinos, even though we just beat them. I’m fighting for my family, and all the fans behind me. I’m just leaving it out there for them. We have a lot of Filipinos in Singapore, so hopefully we have a great crowd and they come support us since Alab’s no longer in the running,” he said.
Singapore takes on Hong Kong in the 2017 ABL Finals starting on Friday.