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Abu Tratter didn’t have to play, but still showed up for Marinerong Pilipino on Monday.
Tratter, who is one of the surprise inclusions in Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes’ 14-man pool set to fly to Melbourne later in the day, didn’t want to leave his team behind as he helped the Skippers hack out a 109-93 rout of AMA Online Education in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
“I’m a man who keeps my words. My main priority is making sure that I can fulfill my end of the bargain for my home team which is Marinero,” Tratter said after collecting six points and seven rebounds in his solid nine minutes of play to help his crew rise to 4-2 in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup.
That kind of dedication from Tratter is just what made him a great catch for coach Koy Banal, who was one of the least surprised that the former La Salle bruiser made the cut to join the Philippine delegation.
“Nothing could compare to hard work, and we believe he showed the coaches that he deserves to be there,” Banal said of Tratter.
Though Tratter admits that making it to Gilas Pilipinas has always been a goal of his, he was still surprised with how stiff the level of competition is in the national team’s training sessions.
“Of course, it’s always a surprise when you get added to something like that, but I was confident that I can make the team. That’s always been my goal. I know that through working hard, I can get there,” he said. “But it was a shock to see how different it was compared to the UAAP and in the D-League. Coming in there, it’s just a different atmosphere at the most.”
With modest expectations, Tratter knows better to treasure his rare opportunity as he seeks to learn from elite big men like Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo.
“I just want to learn, continue to be a sponge out there especially in practice. I want to continue to ask advice from all the vets and continue to learn from them,” he said.
The Philippines takes on Australia on Thursday at the start of the second window of the Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.