PBA: CJ Cansino earns praises from Meralco after best game yet

Meralco Bolts rookie CJ Cansino in the PBA Governors’ Cup. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco Bolts rookie CJ Cansino had his best game yet as a rookie to help Meralco to the share of the Group A lead of the PBA Governors’ Cup–much to the delight of coach Luigi Trillo.

The Bolts defeated Terrafirma, 107-91, on Wednesday with the help of Cansino, who finished with 16 points off four triples along with four rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Cansino’s outing reminded Trillo of another Meralco key cog in Bong Quinto.

READ: PBA: CJ Cansino sees being a good fit with Meralco

“I’m happy [that] CJ is helping out. I remember Bong (Quinto), when he was younger here, he was coming in and hitting his threes. Now, it’s CJ,” said Trillo.

“CJ still has a lot to prove because he’s very talented and humble, like Bong. They’re [both] easy to coach because they’re very motivated.”

Meralco coach Luigi Trillo and Bong Quinto after the win over Terrafirma. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/pSwgFQEmyo

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) August 28, 2024

Finding his footing after the Bolts’ first two games of the import-laden conference, Cansino started to hit his mark and helped out the Bolts’ veterans on every facet of the game en route to the 2-1 card.

READ: PBA: Allein Maliksi sees younger self in rookie CJ Cansino

Quinto also flaunted his offensive bag anew with 22 points and three rebounds, and he’s happy that he has someone to share his experiences with in Cansino.

“It’s nice that now is the time for me to share my learnings that I got from my vets,” said the Letran product in Filipino.

“The good thing about CJ is, he’s open-minded. He listens to all the advice we give him so when it comes game time, he’s relaxed. Today, he learned how to be calm and do the things you can do to help the team outside of scoring.”

Meralco hopes to see more out of its rookie on Sunday against Northport at the same venue.