Justine Baltazar of the Converge FiberXers had plenty of reasons to be happy on Christmas Day.
Justine Baltazar could not have picked a better time to unleash a breakout performance.
On Christmas Day, Baltazar shot 6-of-9 from the field on the way to 16 points — his best offensive output yet — in Converge’s 110-94 win over Meralco in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.
He also had seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal in a stellar game that helped the FiberXers claim their sixth win in eight games.
The no. 1 overall pick in this year’s PBA Draft attributed his fine play to his teammates and coaches’ trust.
“Talagang binibigyan ako ng coaches and ng teammates ko ng chance na makapaglaro. Binigay ko lang talaga 'yung best ko, 'yun, maganda 'yung nilaro ko ngayon,” he said.
“Hindi ko magagawa 'yun kundi dahil sa tiwala nila sa akin.”
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Balti then made special mention of PBA legend and Converge assistant coach Danny Ildefonso, the former MVP who is also credited for the meteoric rise of San Miguel superstar June Mar Fajardo in his early years in the league.
“Siguro dahil tumatagal na 'ko sa team, and then sa praktis. Kita niyo ilang game akong pangit 'yung nilalaro ko, siyempre trabaho pa rin ako, shooting-shooting ako, and then malaking bagay din 'yung tinuturo sa akin ni Coach Danny kaya nagpapasalamat din ako sa kanya,” he said.
While Baltazar was elated to finally put up a performance to remember, there was something else that mattered more for the young cager.
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“Sobrang happy ko rin kasi kahapon kasama ko rin 'yung mga kapatid ko, [ni-celebrate] namin 'yung Christmas dito sa Manila, sabay-sabay kami. Masaya. Nanood pa sila. Kaya confident talaga ako. Madalang lang kami magsama-sama e,” he said.