Last 29 August, Meralco Bolts witness the best game of CJ Cansino so far as a rookie in the PBA when they won against the TerraFirma Dyip.
The 6-foot-1 gunner fired 16 points — 12 of which came from a 4/7 shooting from beyond the arc — as well as four rebounds, two assists, and a steal for the undermanned Meralco Bolts.
His performance came at a time wherein the Bolts were missing the services of Aaron Black, Chris Newsome, and Raymond Almazan. Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo was glad to see the former University of the Philippines star step up.
"Kailangan next man up lang. Now, we have CJ. Si CJ, I remember si Bong Quinto when he was younger, we were moving the ball and Bong got his threes. Ngayon naman, si CJ na," said the two-time PBA champion mentor of Cansino.
"Him and Bong are the same. They're easy to coach because they're both very motivated," he added.
Aside from the similarities, the former Alaska Aces coach got real on what Cansino still needs to adjust to as he continues with his young professional hoops journey.
"I think with CJ, it's just the quality of shots. Sometimes, he's always in attack mode. You must know when it's a good shot or a bad shot. I think he has developed his defense, but marami pa siyang kakainin," explained Trillo.
"He still has a lot to prove, but he's very talented, he's very popular, he's very humble, and he has good guys around him. He's gonna grow with these guys around him," he added of the 11th overall pick in the 2024 Rookie Draft.
Meanwhile, Quinto said that he is doing his part as a veteran for Cansino, much like how his kuyas in the Bolts helped him during his early years in the league.
"Nakakatuwa nga na ngayon, it's my time to share lahat ng natutunan ko sa mga vets namin especially with sila kuya Raymond, kuya Allein [Maliksi], kuya Cliff [Hodge], and Chris Banchero — sa lahat ng nag inspire din sa aking mag improve," said the former Colegio de San Juan de Letran star.
"Ang maganda kay CJ, talagang open-minded siya. Nakikinig siya sa lahat ng advice namin sa kanya pag dating sa game. First two games niya, sobrang aggressive eh. So dito, matututunan niyang maging kalmado lang, let the game come to him, and share the ball," he added.
"Yung maganda kay CJ, gusto niyang makatulong sa team, at gusto niya rin na — siyempre lahat naman — gusto niyang mag champion," added the Bolts mainstay.
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