Cone says rookie Tolentino’s game will flourish with Ginebra

Arvin Tolentino shines for Ginebra. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone heaped praise for his rookie Arvin Tolentino, who made the most out of his starting gig against Meralco on Sunday.

Tolentino showed flashes of his potential after scoring 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field that went with four rebounds in over 21 minutes of action in the 105-91 win.

“Arvin is a talent. I’ve been saying it the day we drafted him. He is a talented kid and he’s versatile,” said Cone.

The 6-foot-5 forward was selected 10th overall by Ginebra in last year’s draft and Cone believes the Gin Kings found the perfect match in Tolentino, who played for Far Eastern University and Ateneo in the UAAP.

“He’s not just a shooter. He can put the ball on the floor, he can rebound, he had a nice blocked shot today,” he said.

“He’s very long, so he’s really talented, and I think his game can really grow with the kind of style of play that we play in,” added Cone, who also offered some praise for his other rookies Jerrick Balanza and Kent Salado.

Despite only having a small sample size, Cone has seen enough to know that Tolentino will go a long way.

“I can’t imagine what he’s gonna be like a year or two from now. It’s just his first couple of games and he hasn’t had any practice, but he’s still making an impact.”