Ginebra Gin Kings’ Jamie Malonzo in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Jamie Malonzo played for nearly 40 minutes on Friday night, putting up a new career-best scoring mark and leading Barangay Ginebra to a triumphant 113-107 debut over Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup.
In a way, it was an emphatic return from a tumultuous February that saw him figure in a drunken scuffle that went viral on social media.
His club coach Tim Cone, the squad’s elder statesman LA Tenorio, and even the opposing mentor that night all hope it’s the resolution he—and everyone else needs to finally move on.
@inquirersports #JamieMalonzo talks about getting his career-high 32 points in #Ginebra’s win over #RainOrShine in the #PBA #PhilippineCup despite the noise surrounding him. #fyp #tiktokph #sports #basketball ♬ original sound – INQUIRER Sports
READ: PBA: Jamie Malonzo overcomes ‘tough’ times en route to career night
“It’s [been] a test of character, but we all just saw that he has recovered well from it,” Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said late night on the heels of the match at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We really don’t want to make comments on that anymore because we’ve already seen (with how he played) that we can now all set that [incident] aside for him to focus on what he needs to do,” the fiery mentor, who also once served as a national coach, added.
Malonzo poured 32 points in the victory, pulling down eight rebounds that went with four blocks and a pair of steals. All that with his left eye still showing traces of blood clots and bruises still visible across his forehead.
“I was just telling him in the dugout that I was very proud of him—that after what happened, he was able to play in such a way,” said Tenorio, an 18-year veteran who has also worked alongside Malonzo in the national basketball program.
READ: Jamie Malonzo apologizes after fistfight video goes viral
“We’re past looking at this game. I told him that we need more of that (performance) in this conference … from him, most especially. I just hope everyone understands if he’s not able to grant any interviews because as much as possible, we all want to rid memories of the incident from his head.”
For his part, Malonzo talked to reporters in the customary post-game chat for winning teams. He opened up and shared that picking himself up has been challenging, and he has been battling through a lot.
“It hasn’t been easy,” he said, his voice trailing off after each pause. “It’s difficult to cancel out all the noise and go out there and perform and focus on the game. But I’m just happy that I was able to do what I did tonight and move forward.”
“It’s hard to put it into words right now. I have just been focusing on practice, and staying with my team. Just going day by day,” he said, crediting his teammates for helping him cope since videos of the incident made the rounds on the internet late Feb. 26.
READ: PBA: Jamie Malonzo pours 32 as Ginebra defeats Rain or Shine
It has not been clear whether the incident was the reason why JamieMalonzo missed the Gilas Pilipinas’ homestand against Chinese Taipei that same night. The national basketball leaders have since pinned his absence to gastroenteritis.
Cone, the current Gilas coach, feels details surrounding the incident are all irrelevant at this point.
“I think he’s found … a sanctuary in practice and in games,” he said. “He’s back to his comfort zone with his teammates. I think that’s really the key issue for him and it showed tonight in his game that he can put everything behind and just move forward.”
“We’re actually really proud of Jamie Malonzo and what he did tonight and how he did and how he came back to practice and just let his game do the talking,” he added.
Guiao feels the same way.
“I think it’s better forgotten. Stop focusing on it,” he said. “Let him move forward.”