Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Playing with fancied teammates, John Ambulodto knew that all he had to do is to play his part in coach Pablo Lucas’ system in Wangs Basketball.
It’s not like he’s not used to being in the shadows.
Spending his collegiate years with St. Clare, the 27-year-old has grown accustomed to not getting much fanfare, from his school days to his stops in Racal and JRU.
But Ambulodto’s big moment came on Tuesday when he received a pass from Tim Habelito and nailed the buzzer-beating basket to carry the Couriers to an 88-86 victory over Gamboa Coffee Mix in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
“I expected the pass to come, and I won’t have any choice but to go for the shot,” he said in Filipino. “I said to myself, ‘I have to shoot it and I hope it goes in.’”
Ambulodto finished with just four points and five rebounds, but those numbers resonated the loudest in their second win so far.
“We’re just doing our best. We knew we have to defend because if we don’t, the other teams will get wins at our expense. So we’re just going hard and focusing on our defense,”Ambulodto said.
The 6-foot-5 big man has no qualms being a role player with Wangs, knowing that he has high-scoring Fil-Ams in Robbie Herndon, Habelito, and Ryan Arambulo leading the team on offense.
“I have the trust in them because I know they are scorers. So what I do is chip in what I could for the team, which is defense, to help our team win,” he said.
The Couriers spring back to action against Racal Motors on Monday.