Bonleon out to prove he can still play despite weight gain

Mario Bonleon. PBA IMAGES

For Mario Bonleon, he’s looking at this run with AMA Online Education in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup as a chance for redemption.

“I’m trying to prove that even though I’m fat, I can still play,” he said in Filipino.

The 22-year-old didn’t waste time in proving his worth as he poured 31 points in the Titans’ 118-100 defeat to Racal on Thursday.

However, his scoring came at a woeful 8-of-20 clip from the field including a dismal 0-of-8 shooting from three.

Bonleon knows that he has a long way to go in terms of his conditioning, admitting that he still hasn’t regained his rhythm since injuring his hand last year. But he believes that with more work in practice, he will eventually get to his desired shape.

“I’m still adjusting. I still haven’t found my rhythm. But I think I still need to run a little because I’m still gasping for air, and a little more shooting in practice. I also know that I have to trim down more because my coach in UST said that I’m fat,” he said.

While he is looking to sustain his scoring, Bonleon is hoping that his outburts would come with a victory next time.

“I know I still need to work on more things. I got 31 points, but we lost and got blown out. I hope next game, we can win and if I can exceed my point turnout, it will be better. The important thing for me is for the team to win,” he said.

The Titans spring back to action against Cignal next Tuesday.