From Baby to Man

MANILA, Philippines — TNT coach Chot Reyes described Ginebra sophomore point guard RJ Abarrientos’ transformation from a “baby” in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals last season to a “man” leading the charge for the Barangay this conference. Reyes made the comment during the Finals presscon at Novotel last Monday and went as far as noting Abarrientos’ back-to-back 30-point outburst to close out the semis series against Rain or Shine was “no joke.”

In the Commissioner’s Cup Finals last season where TNT beat Ginebra, 4-3, Abarrientos came off the bench to average 7.3 points in the seven-game duel. This conference, Abarrientos has emerged as the PBA’s leading local scorer (21.5 points a game). He’s also No. 1 in average three-point conversions (3.3) and free throw percentage (91.5).

Abarrientos, 26, wasn’t the PBA’s top pick when he entered the draft two years ago. Justine Baltazar and Sedrick Barefield were named ahead on the first round. Before the draft, he’d played for Hyundai Mobis Phoebus averaging 13.1 points in the Korean league, Shinshu Brave Warriors Nagano averaging 7.8 points in the Japanese B-League and the champion SGA team averaging 9.3 points alongside TNT stalwarts Chris McCullough and Jordan Heading in the Jones Cup.

Abarrientos is gunning for his first PBA championship and in Game 1 of the Finals the other day, was nothing short of incredible. He hit a four to overturn Ginebra’s three-point deficit, 96-95, with 1:30 to go and after TNT’s RR Pogoy sank two free throws, buried another four to regain the lead, 100-97, with 20 ticks left. Pogoy delivered a three to tie it up then Justin Brownlee shot the game-winner on an angled 10-foot banker off McCullough. Abarrientos finished with 24 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, three rebounds and seven assists in 38:24 minutes.

A P32 million two-year offer for Abarrientos to return to Phoebus was recently floated in media but he dismissed it, expressing his loyalty to Ginebra. He’s a third generation Abarrientos in the PBA after his granduncle Billy who played in 1975-78 and uncle Johnny who saw action in 1993-2010.