MANILA, Philippines–Getting chosen for his first-ever appearance within the PBA All-Star Game served as each a reward and a reminder for Terrafirma’s Juami Tiongson.
“It’s very humbling because I got here from nothing to be hastily becoming an All-Star,” Tiongson said in Filipino after scoring 30 points within the Dyip’s 107-99 victory over the Converge FiberXers to start their PBA Philippine Cup campaign Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“The whole lot happens so fast and I’m so thankful and content with what’s happening to my profession. But at the identical time, there’s more work to be done. My All-Star selection is just the start.”
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Tiongson was the twenty third out of the 24 players chosen by fans through the balloting for the exhibition classic slated March 23 in Bacolod City, a validation of his status as certainly one of the premier players within the PBA.
He missed out on a spot during last yr’s edition in Passi City, Iloilo despite being regarded as a deserved inclusion to the sport.
Attending to the All-Star festivities continued the incredible rise of the previous Ateneo guard, who at one point was out of the large league and needed to prove his wares within the PBA D-League before getting one other likelihood.
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Terrafirma’s All-Filipino opener was again a showcase for Tiongson, whose offensive brilliance coupled together with his team play with rookie Stephen Holt led to a convincing triumph.
“Our chemistry is so smooth because he’s very unselfish to a degree that I actually have to remind that he needs to be aggressive,” Tiongson said of Holt, who finished with 27 points.
The Dyip are hoping to make use of the PBA Philippine Cup start as a springboard to compete for a playoff spot which has eluded them for the just about seven seasons.
“We used to feel that each win is like winning a playoff game,” he said. “But all of us were level-headed, relaxed and laser-focused on the following task.”