Thompson living his dream playing for Cone

MANILA, Philippines -- After his auspicious pro debut on Sunday in the big stage, rookie guard Scottie Thompson hopes to build on his explosive performance against Star when Barangay Ginebra takes on the guard-heavy Barako Bull side on Halloween.

Thompson marked his PBA debut with five points, six assists and three rebounds in over 16 minutes of action off the bench in Ginebra’s 78-86 loss to Star last weekend.

His remarkable playmaking made him the subject of discussion in various social media platforms, even as his name trended at the social micro-blogging site Twitter.

However, the 5-foot-11 guard out of University of Perpetual Help said he still has a lot to learn as he continues to study the finer points of the triangle offense under coach Tim Cone and veteran guards LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa.

“Sobrang laking tulong nila (Tenorio and Caguioa) sa akin, kasi unang una pa lang, nangangapa pa ako, pero sila ang nagga-guide sa akin at kuya. Hindi nila ako pinabayaan,” Thompson told Philstar.com on Friday.

Two weeks since joining Ginebra in practice, the wily Thompson said he still can’t believe that he’s now playing under all-time PBA winning coach Tim Cone.

The soft-spoken Ginebra freshman guard calls Cone his “dream coach”.

“Sobrang okay si coach, kasi dream coach ko lang siya dati, pero ngayon natupad na,” said Thompson, Ginebra’s fifth overall pick in the PBA draft last August.

Nonetheless, the former NCAA Most Valuable Player remains indebted to Perpetual coach Aric del Rosario, whom he credits for his growth as a basketball player.

“Palagi ko kasing dinadala yung sinasabi sa akin ni coach Aric from college. Sabi niya sa akin na ‘ikaw ang gagawa ng play’ kaya kapag nabibigyan ako ng pagkakataon, ibinibigay ko lang ang best ko,” explained the pride of Digos City.

Ginebra will be shooting for its first win against Barako Bull when they collide in the main game on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.