Living up to Garcia’s expectations, Mocon sets career best

Javee Mocon continues to shine for the ElastoPainters. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines — Javee Mocon was the biggest revelation for Rain or Shine in its impressive win over defending champion San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup on Tuesday.

But Elasto Painters head coach Caloy Garcia wasn’t surprised at all with how his young forward performed against a shorthanded yet formidable opponent.

“When we got him, we really expected him to play like that since last year,” Garcia said after the 87-83 win.

“He always plays with effort. He’s a fighter, he doesn’t stop and he’s a winner. He’s a born winner. He played in San Beda. You can give to him the ball in the end. He carried in parts of the game,” he added.

The 25-year-old Mocon, who is just in his second season in the PBA after being drafted sixth overall, lived up to Garcia’s expectations with a career-high 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

He set the tone for Rain or Shine, scoring 10 points in the first two minutes of the game as the Painters zoomed to a 16-0 lead.

The 6-foot-3 Pampanga native also made timely plays amid a San Miguel Beer fightback in the final frame.