MANILA, Philippines—Alex Cabagnot has hit numerous clutch shots for San Miguel in the PBA that it has gotten hard to keep track.
And his resume of late-game heroics has made him appreciate another man’s work even more.
Cabagnot was serving as the assistant coach for Team Hustle in the 2019 NBTC National Finals Division I All-Star Game when he bore witness to the greatness of Mark Nonoy.
Team Hustle trailed 76-75 against Team Heart midway through the fourth quarter when Nonoy decided to go mental.
Nonoy went on a personal 14-6 run capped off with a booming three-pointer against two defenders for the 89-82 lead with 34.7 seconds left in the game.
“When he shot that three-pointer I had to stand up from my seat,” said Cabagnot in Filipino Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena. “Coach Chris [Gavina] and I talk about encouraging and you know we shot a lot of three-pointers [11-of-44].”
“The best thing we could do in encourage and when he shot that shot there was no doubt in my mind, especially coach Chris’ that it would go in,” added Cabagnot.
Nonoy said that his sudden outburst just came out of nowhere especially when he scored just seven points in the first three quarters.
“I don’t know where that came from and I think I had that confidence from my coaches and I was actually surprised that I did that,” said Nonoy who finished with 23 points.
Cabagnot was no doubt in awe of Nonoy but he knows the incoming collegiate freshman for University of Santo Tomas still has a lot to work on.
“He still has a lot to improve but he’s under a good program and a good coach,” said Cabagnot who also works as an assistant for University of the Philippines. “The best thing he could do is listen to the coach, to the elders around him, and also to the alumni.”