[Saba Sports News] With skills and basketball IQ honed from overseas experience, Rhon Jay “RJ” Abarrientos not only easily made it into the regular rotation in Barangay Ginebra, but it is no surprise that he was given a chance to play when it matters.
(Source: Getty Image)
The third overall pick in the PBA draft is vindicating Coach Tim Cone’s faith, especially with the heavy lifting in high-stakes games.
In Game 5 of the PBA Governors Cup semifinals against San Miguel Beer last Friday, the 25-year-old Abarientos set a personal PBA high with 28 points, helping Ginebra to a 121-92 victory and take the series lead.
Two days later, the 5-foot-11 Abarienos scored 16 points, hit a key 3-point basket in the fourth quarter, set up a Slam Dunk by Japeth Aguilar and a layup by Scottie Thompson, Eventually eliminated SAN Miguel 102-99, successfully advanced to the finals, with TNT for the championship.
On the strength of his performance, Abarientos averaged 18.3 points and shot 44 percent from 3-point range for the week of Oct. 16-20, adding four assists and 3.3 rebounds to earn the PBA Journalists Association’s Player of the Week award for the final week of the conference.