After sending rookie Ed Daquioag to Rain or Shine for fellow Gilas Pilipinas cadet Mike Tolomia, the Bolts has just strengthened its point-guard position.
Both Tolomia and Daquioag are part of the Gilas side that is set to fly the flag for the Philippines in the coming Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur. They are also the second set of cadets to swap places after Von Pessumal (now with San Miguel) and Arnold Van Opstal (GlobalPort).
Tolomia got off to a solid start in his rookie year. There were points in the Philippine Cup where he looked like he was carving out a role in the rotation as a point guard off the bench. But he’s also lost playing time as the season progressed.
So far in the Governor’s Cup, he's only played a total of five minutes. The young guard will be playing behind the vastly imp[roving Baser Amer and will be expected to play both guard positions in Meralco's fluid line-up.
What made the six-foot former Far Eastern University standout fit the Bolts' system is his uncanny ability to explode in the second half despite his limited minutes. In games where he was fielded less than 15 minutes by the ElastoPainters, he averaged close to double digits and 2 assists.
Tolomia would also rather look at his scarce minutes positively, intently watching the defensive schemes and preparing himself whenever his number again and field him in the game.
"That's my advantage of not playing from the first quarter to the third: I can see the things we have to do when we’re playing and I use those as lessons for when I enter the ballgame," he said.
Tolomia was also named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2016 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa and tournament director Eric Castro honored the 23-year-old playmaker after leading the Phoenix Accelerators back to the championship series after averaging 19.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for the conference.
The elite guard joined Mac Belo as the MVP awardees for Phoenix, after the latter was cited back in the 2016 Aspirants’ Cup.
Tolomia got the nod after garnering votes from the media, the television coveror, and the Commissioner’s office. He bested teammate Daquioag, Cafe France's Carl Bryan Cruz, Racal's Jonathan Grey, and Tanduay's Gelo Alolino for the plum.
But key to reaching his PBA dream was his brother Chester, who over a decade ago played for Ginebra, followed by Sta. Lucia, Coca-Cola, before ending his career with Magnolia.
"Bata pa ako nung nasa PBA siya (Chester) pero napapanuod ko na yung mga nakakalaban ng kuya ko nung nasa PBA na siya," shared the younger Tolomia, who is 12-year younger than Chester.
Both Tolomia and Daquioag are part of the Gilas side that is set to fly the flag for the Philippines in the coming Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur. They are also the second set of cadets to swap places after Von Pessumal (now with San Miguel) and Arnold Van Opstal (GlobalPort).
Tolomia got off to a solid start in his rookie year. There were points in the Philippine Cup where he looked like he was carving out a role in the rotation as a point guard off the bench. But he’s also lost playing time as the season progressed.
So far in the Governor’s Cup, he's only played a total of five minutes. The young guard will be playing behind the vastly imp[roving Baser Amer and will be expected to play both guard positions in Meralco's fluid line-up.
What made the six-foot former Far Eastern University standout fit the Bolts' system is his uncanny ability to explode in the second half despite his limited minutes. In games where he was fielded less than 15 minutes by the ElastoPainters, he averaged close to double digits and 2 assists.
Tolomia would also rather look at his scarce minutes positively, intently watching the defensive schemes and preparing himself whenever his number again and field him in the game.
"That's my advantage of not playing from the first quarter to the third: I can see the things we have to do when we’re playing and I use those as lessons for when I enter the ballgame," he said.
Tolomia was also named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2016 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa and tournament director Eric Castro honored the 23-year-old playmaker after leading the Phoenix Accelerators back to the championship series after averaging 19.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for the conference.
The elite guard joined Mac Belo as the MVP awardees for Phoenix, after the latter was cited back in the 2016 Aspirants’ Cup.
Tolomia got the nod after garnering votes from the media, the television coveror, and the Commissioner’s office. He bested teammate Daquioag, Cafe France's Carl Bryan Cruz, Racal's Jonathan Grey, and Tanduay's Gelo Alolino for the plum.
But key to reaching his PBA dream was his brother Chester, who over a decade ago played for Ginebra, followed by Sta. Lucia, Coca-Cola, before ending his career with Magnolia.
"Bata pa ako nung nasa PBA siya (Chester) pero napapanuod ko na yung mga nakakalaban ng kuya ko nung nasa PBA na siya," shared the younger Tolomia, who is 12-year younger than Chester.
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