As Converge cuts Meralco down to size, Baltazar finally shows chops

Justine Baltazar, the top pick of the last Rookie Draft, finally lived up to his lofty billing on Wednesday, putting up an all-around effort to help will young Converge past a veteran-laden Meralco crew in a holiday showdown that served as a treat for the club’s fans and the big man himself.

A rookie who already had prior pro stints overseas and in another local league, Baltazar finished with 16 points on a 6-of-9 shooting and added seven rebounds and four assists to his name over the course of 30 minutes to put an end to his lackluster start in the PBA.

“I feel like they think they’re not seeing the same ‘Balti,’” he told reporters on the heels of a 110-94 victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Christmas Day. “So I just worked on my game and worked inside whenever I’m called up.”

Baltazar said his getting used to Converge also played a factor in his breakout performance, which also had the club improving in the Commissioner’s Cup with a 6-2 win-loss record.

Mentored by DI

But there was also no denying that being mentored by a league legend immensely helped his cause.

“He told me the coaches believe in me because they always put me in [the game],” he said of Danny Ildefonso, the former two-time Most Valuable Player who is now one of the assistants in the FiberXers coaching staff.

“So I need to work hard in training, work on my shooting and in my play in the post so I could apply it in the game,” Baltazar added.

Baltazar beginning to get his groove couldn’t be more timely for the FiberXers, who look to build on their deep playoff run in the Governors’ Cup, where the telco squad drew new admirers after dragging dynastic San Miguel in a deciding Game 5 during the conference quarterfinals.

Up next for Converge is TNT, which it battles on Jan. 11. The squad, which also features PBA Press Corps’ Player of the Week Jordan Heading, then battles Rain or Shine, and then Blackwater before finally tackling San Miguel in a return game that is shaping up as a must-see basketball with Baltazar finally in tow.

“I’ll keep on working,” the 6-foot-10 Baltazar said.