Another explosive rookie debut. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
ANTIPOLO—Trevis Jackson seems to have gotten the memo.
Everywhere in the PBA Philippine Cup, his fellow rookies have been coming up with big games.
Why not him?
“The first game [Meralco]needed me to be a great teammate off the bench,” Jackson said. “So I’mma be the first one off the bench, the first one clapping for you, the first one giving you a high-five.”
“Tonight, they asked more of me… all I had to do was be ready and that’s what I did.”
Picked fifth overall by Meralco in the Draft, the California-raised cager asserted himself in the Bolts’ 99-94 conquest of Blackwater Saturday night at Ynares Center here.
Jackson scattered a team-best 19 point to go with a pair of assists and a rebound. He also shot well from deep, drilling five of his eight triple attempts.
The 22-year-old admitted that he was pumped up by the performances of his draft classmates—particularly Columbian top pick CJ Perez and NorthPort’s Robert Bolick, who each came up with 26 points to lead their teams to victories.
“Those are awesome guys. I watched their games and I was excited. I feel like if that excitement transferred over to me, I just told myself, ‘you gotta do it, you gotta give people something,’” he said.
Plus, there was mom to impress.
“My mom’s only here for this weekend. I had to send her home with something to see. I couldn’t let her come to a game and not perform,” Jackson said.
“Doing well for her is like… it makes me happy, it makes my heart happy,” he added.
Jackson is the latest rookie to make a splash early in the season. Aside from Perez and Bolick, Abu Tratter, who was snared seventh overall by Blackwater, tallied 18 points in his first game. No. 6 Javee Mocon registered 13 in his Rain or Shine debut.