The young pogo stick could make more dazzling plays against Jordan.
Jamie Malonzo is a man of the people.
The rim-rattling forward made sure to put some razzle-dazzle in Gilas Pilipinas’ win over Lebanon on Friday, 107-96 in the sixth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Of course, he did it by doing what he does best: Punishing the rim.
The high-leaping Malonzo made a nasty throwdown on a fastbreak in the second quarter, whipping the partisan crowd at the Philippine Arena into wild jubilation. He, however, admitted that it wasn’t all him, tipping his hat to his Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings teammate.
“I’m happy that Scottie (Thompson) is gonna make the right play always, that’s the kind of point guard he is. So he found me,” said Malonzo, who finished with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks as he moonlighted as a big man for their undersized roster.
He followed that up with another replay-worthy jam, punctuating the sizzling second quarter of Gilas Pilipinas. When asked about his pair of dunks, Malonzo’s remark will surely make Filipinos very excited for his future stints with the national team.
“Of course, I want to give fans what they want to see and that’s highlights and exciting basketball,” said Malonzo.