Meralco’s Bong Quinto recently paid a visit to the grave of his father and brought an item to show that he has arrived as a champion basketball player.
That was a championship shirt of the Bolts’ run in the PBA Philippine Cup, the culmination of a lifelong dream for Quinto, one which he obviously shared with his father.
“Nagbunga lahat ng panalangin mo para sa akin (All of your prayers have finally paid off),” Quinto wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.
Quinto became a PBA champion after his key role in the Bolts’ turnaround from the brink of missing the playoffs. In the Finals, his performance also downplayed why he was a huge steal as a second round pick in the 2018 Draft.
It’s also a full circle for Quinto, whose dream started when he watched a PBA game for the first time in 2007 at Cuneta Astrodome, where he saw the deciding Game 7 between Alaska and TNT for the Fiesta Conference title.
The Aces won that, and Quinto would see more games, cultivating his desire to one day become a PBA champion himself.
“Before I dreamt of winning a championship in college, I dreamt of becoming a PBA champion,” said Quinto in Filipino.
Also NCAA champ
He got an NCAA title in 2015 with Letran as part of the Cinderella “Mayhem” squad handled by rookie coach Aldin Ayo as they denied San Beda a fifth straight crown. He played three more years with the Knights, his versatility as a post player who can also play in the perimeter on full display.
But Quinto, a projected first-rounder, eventually ended up being picked 14th overall by the Bolts, who curiously had a chance to take him at No. 5 but chose guard Trevis Jackson instead.
Jackson is no longer in the league, and Quinto became a key fixture on the Meralco squad that made it to multiple semifinals and two Finals prior to this season, losing both times to Barangay Ginebra.
Quinto emerged as one of the key reasons for Meralco’s turnaround from 3-5 before eventually eliminating Ginebra in Game 7 of the semis. He also had key contributions in the Finals.
“I told the veterans that I was playing for them, because I know that at the end all of us will be the ones benefiting,” said Quinto.