PBA: Beau Belga getting smarter with age, Yeng Guiao teases
Rain or Shine Elastopainters’ Beau Belga in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Beau Belga made history at Araneta Coliseum after Rain or Shine’s convincing win over Converge in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday.
Belga registered his first career triple-double in the Elasto Painters’ 110-90 victory over the FiberXers, which caught the attention of coach Yeng Guiao.
And of course, in true Guiao fashion, he started his praise with a little jab.
READ: PBA: Beau Belga’s first triple-double propels Rain or Shine
“Gano’n talaga pag tumatanda ka, tumatalino ka,” said the coach in jest, referring to Belga, who is 37 years old. (That’s how it is. The older you are, the wiser you get.)“I think he’s rounded his game well. Not having Keith (Datu) is a big loss so he had to work double time and he did just that.”
The wide bodied forward scattered 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to power the squad to a 2-4 record.
Other than the win, another cherry on top was the fact that Belga was the first local Rain or Shine player to achieve the rare feat.
READ: Eyeing to prolong PBA career, Beau Belga loses 30 pounds
The PBA veteran said it was his sense of urgency to fueled him to stuff the stat sheet and get everyone on his team involved.
“I needed to step up a little bit more and with the help of my teammates, the job got easier,” said Belga in Filipino.
Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga and coach Yeng Guiao after win over Converge. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/wNNCgzb9zo
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) April 3, 2024
The three-time PBA champion also emphasized that he wasn’t trying to chase the triple-double accolade.
But with the eagerness of the Elasto Painters to see history, Belga went out and gave them what they wanted to see.
“There were times that I almost got it [triple-double], but I never forced it. Earlier, though, the whole bench was telling me, ‘one more assist!’ so I told myself that, okay, I’ll try.”
But , with Belga in the ongoing All-Filipino conference as he’s currently averaging 13.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
