Nelle gets prep time with Gilas hero and PBA legend Alapag

La Salle guard Evan Nelle shoots past UP defenders in Game 1 of the UAAP men’s basketball finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Having won collegiate titles for two different schools in two different leagues, Evan Nelle is poised to enter the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) with a different kind of edge in hand.

Interestingly, that’s not the only advantage he has.

Nelle was able to pick the brains of the decorated Jimmy Alapag and even trained with the PBA legend weeks before his name was called 14th overall (No. 2 in the second round) by the NorthPort franchise during the Rookie Draft.

“Coach Jimmy opened new perspectives for me,” he told the Inquirer of the short but immensely productive workout with the six-time PBA champion, 2011 Most Valuable Player (MVP), and former Gilas Pilipinas skipper in Sacramento, California.

“He taught me what it takes to be more great, what else I have to do to reach new goals,” Nelle went on.

Aside from Alapag, Nelle also had help from Maurice Hernandez, the strength and conditioning coach of Power Pack Fitness also in Sacramento, who made sure that the La Salle playmaker’s fitness is on par with the kind of opponents that awaited him in Asia’s pioneering pro league.

“They opened my eyes to see that in the pros, it’s all about how long you can stay (in the league), and it’s the work you put in [along with] the confidence you have in your work,” said Nelle.

“I just hope it all translates once I get to play.”

Nelle, who also went through the storied San Beda program before joining the Green Archers, waxed candid when asked about how hands-on Alapag was with him during his weeklong training in the United States.

“Whenever I missed my shots, coach Jimmy would tell me to just keep going, to play through it all,” he recalled. “He saw that I’m emotional—and that I get frustrated easily. So he kept telling ‘on to the next.’”

“To hear that from Jimmy Alapag, who’s already a coach in the NBA? To get actual lessons from him? It’s humbling,” Nelle added. “If I could train there for a month or something, I would’ve.”

Alapag is currently a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings.

Now at home and far from Alapag’s guidance, Nelle intends to improve his smarts on the court.

“More on decision-making,” he said when asked about points of improvement. “I know I lack that. Sometimes I’m too confident, and sometimes I overthink. If I get that aspect sorted, I know that’ll translate into my game and help the game to be easier, and help the team win.” INQ