Jerie Pingoy drives to the basket against
Hoping for a career reboot in Adamson, Jerie Pingoy was forced to temper his expectations as he plays the role of a backup to chief playmaker Robbie Manalang.
His playing time was sparse, but the transferee from Ateneo knew he had to bide his time.
Pingoy didn’t really have to wait for long as Pumaren called his number late when Robbie Manalang fouled out in the Falcons’ tournament opener on Monday in the 2017 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup.
And when the chance opened up, he really made sure to make the most of it.
The former UAAP juniors MVP drilled a pressure-packed three from the top of the arc with 20.8 seconds left to tie the score at 48 and force overtime.
“As long as it’s a good shot, anybody can shoot. They won’t hear anything from me,” said Pumaren.
But that wasn’t the last of Pingoy’s heroics for the day as he dropped two more jumpers, including the go-ahead basket, 58-56, with 58.3 seconds left en route to a 61-56 win over Arellano University.
READ: Pingoy, Sarr tow Adamson past Arellano in OT
The Cebuano guard attributed his good showing to Pumaren and the coaching staff’s faith in him
“Coach gives me a lot of trust and also the chances to make things happen on the court. The credit all goes to him and the coaching staff. We just followed his system,” said Pingoy, who finished with seven points, three rebounds and three assists.
But this is just one game, and Pingoy seeks to contribute more especially when the UAAP Season 80 comes as Adamson eyes to make more noise this year.
“I’m just playing for coach Franz and we all follow what he tells us. We just have to follow his system,” he said.