Bacolod big man Jan Colina. MPBL PHOTO
Basking in the glow of his best game yet in the MPBL, Bacolod star Pao Javelona was quick to deflect credit to one of his team’s unsung heroes.
“I want people to remember how good Jan Colina was when he was playing in college,” said Javelona, referring to the former Adamson big man who provided a spark in the second half of a stunning 84-82 upset of Zamboanga on Thursday night in the MPBL Lakan Season.
Short on confidence and scoreless in his team’s first seven games, Colina knocked in six crucial points that helped Bacolod build enough cushion to avert a late-game collapse at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
“We reminded him that he can still make an impact for us,” said Javelona, who topscored with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. “We know he could help us in our campaign.”
One of the last teams to fill up its roster, Bacolod’s lineup is short on big men, which meant Colina, who played for Caloocan and Bulacan in the first two seasons, needed to step up for coach Vic Ycasiano’s team against a Zamboanga squad that carried a three-game winning run heading into the match.
“We were looking for other sources [on offense] so we went to Jan Colina,” said Ycasiano, whose team also snapped a three-game slide and improved to 3-5 in the South division. “
Colina’s baskets came at a time when the offense was going nowhere with Javelona and Mac Tallo both bottled up by the Zamboanga defense. Tallo came up with a solid outing finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and 12 assists.
“I’m just happy I was able to contribute to our team’s win,” Colina said.