Amer continues to repay coach’s faith with solid leadership in clutch

Baser Amer. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Three years since getting drafted seventh overall in the 2015 PBA Draft, Baser Amer has solidified himself as Meralco’s go-to guy.

Against Phoenix in the Commissioner’s Cup, the 25-year-old showed why he fully deserves the distinction his head coach Norman Black has given him.

Amer was instrumental in Meralco’s 103-100 overtime victory over the Fuel Masters, taking over the game when the Bolts needed someone to score.

“Coach gave me the responsibility in the past conference so this is a big challenge for me,” said Amer in Filipino. “At my age, he already gave me this kind of trust.”

Amer first showed up in the final minute of regulation scoring five straight points for the Bolts with his step back triple giving Meralco a 90-87 lead with 25.4 seconds left.

Although Matthew Wright’s own version of a step back three tied the game at 90-90 and forced overtime, Amer still displayed his clutch gene in extra time

Amer tracked his own miss in the final two minutes of the game and immediately made up for it with a floater from the right elbow with 1:23 left for Meralco’s 101-98 lead.

His late-game heroics allowed the Bolts to take a 5-2 record for the fourth seed of the tournament, but Amer said they couldn’t take that position for granted.

“We shouldn’t take it easy on our opponents because our next games are against teams at the top of the ladder,” said Amer who finished with 19 points, nine in the fourth and overtime periods.

Meralco’s next four games are against Blackwater, Alaska, TNT, and Rain or Shine with only the Elite serving as a reprieve before facing up against the top three seeds.

“Every game is important because those teams in the bottom are climbing up,” said Amer. “Coach told us that we should work hard against whomever we face.”