Journeyman Watson finally gets chance to play in PBA

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Terrence Watson is just grateful for the chance to finally suit up in the PBA after four years of courtship.

“I’ve been studying and wanting to play in this league for the past four years, and every team I think kind of passed up on me,” Watson said.

A veteran of the international leagues with stints in Iceland, Finland, and Israel, Watson finally got the shot to play in the PBA when San Miguel tapped him as its third import for the season-ending 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup.

“They finally gave me a shot, so I’m just studying and I know they’re going for a Grand Slam. I’m just happy they brought me here to be a part of it,” said Watson, who replaced the underwhelming Terik Bridgeman.

And Watson made sure that the Beermen made the right decision in giving him the call.

The 6-foot-5 bruiser impressed in his debut, tallying 28 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal in San Miguel’s 107-103 victory over Ginebra on Sunday.

His immediate impact is more impressive given that he only had three days to prepare for the duel against the league-leading Gin Kings.

“I had like three days to prepare, but when you’re playing with guys like that, when you’re playing with June Mar (Fajardo), Alex (Cabagnot), (Chris) Ross, and those type of guys, they make it just really easy for me,” he said.

Watson’s performance also backed up his credentials, much to the delight of coach Leo Austria.

“He’s a big help and he’s a big factor for us. I’m happy for him that in only his first game, he played really well,” Austria said.

Watson has had a pretty gaudy resume in his international career, leading his past teams to the championship and a runner-up finish with Hapoel Kfar Saba/ Kohav Yair in the Israeli National League last season.

But he knows that when you’re tasked to backstop a team with the caliber of San Miguel, playing well isn’t good enough.

“I’ve been playing basketball professionally for eight years now, so having that pressure is tend to happen,” Watson said.

“There are a lot of guys who get cut if you don’t win; there’s always pressure no matter what team you go to. There’s pressure for guys in last place – they don’t want to finish in last place. The guys in the middle want to be up top, so there’s pressure for everybody. But I just have the pressure of wanting to win a championship and I think it’s good pressure to have.”