By Jesse C. Ong
There are a number of reasons, despite being picked during the recent Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie draft by a team with a proud winning tradition, Gilas cadet Jio Jalalon is reportedly unhappy settling with the Purefoods Star Hotshots.
More than his failure to land with Ginebra, a squad he so desired to join prior to the special draft for Gilas players, a source close to the former Arellano University Chief bared that Jalalon is worried about getting stagnant with the Hotshots in his rookie year, since he will be playing behind a glut of backcourt veterans like Peter June Simon, Mark Barroca, and Paul Lee.
“Maraming factors kung bakit parang hindi masaya si Jio na sa Purefoods siya napunta. Unang-una na, talagang pangarap niyang maglaro sa Ginebra. Pero mas nag-aalala siyang maburo sa Star, kasi nga puro bigating beterano ang mga kapalitan niya sa puwesto doon,” said a source who requested anonymity.
The same source revealed that Jalalon was overwhelmed with excitement when somebody told him that he was heading to the Gin Kings to team up with former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) archrival Scottie Thompson. Jalalon and Thompson were mean triple-double machines during their time in the collegiate league.
“Sobrang tuwa niya nang may magsabi sa kanya na Ginebra ang kukuha sa kanya. Natural lang na madismaya ang bata, kasi nga nakundisyon na ang isipan niya na doon siya mapupunta. Wala naman kasing player na hindi gustong maglaro sa Ginebra.”
But the informant stated that even if the Hotshots did not select the spitfire guard, it is unlikely that the Gin Kings will pick Jalalon over fellow Gilas cadet and former University of Santo Tomas (UST) stalwart Kevin Ferrer, who is more versatile for a big man and, at 6’5’’, can play the guard position.
Validating his claim was the recent statement made by Ginebra head coach Tim Cone himself that the team made the right choice in selecting Ferrer.
“He’s exactly the player we need and I’m extremely happy that we got him,” the multititled mentor said in a published interview.
“Solid na yung backcourt ng Ginebra with Thompson, [Jayjay] Helterbrand, [Mark] Caguioa and [LA] Tenorio, at kumbaga, nakuha na ni Cone yung tamang formula para manalo. Kaya nga sila nag-champion, ‘di ba? Wala ring pupuwestuhan doon si Jio kung sakali,” the source explained.
With Jalalon’s talent, however, the source believes it would be hard not to feel the rookie’s impact on the team that chose him, especially if he will be given enough playing time by new Hotshots coach Chito Victolero.
Labeled as the next Jayson Castro, Jalalon boasts of a complete game on both ends of the floor. The 24-year-old player also has a deadly touch from the perimeter.
“Being in a crowded backcourt rotation at Star, Jio has to work hard and prove his worth to earn his minutes on the floor. But there’s no doubt that the kid is an exceptional talent. Mabigyan lang ng sapat na break ‘yan, I’m sure, he will earn his place among the league’s superstars in the future,” the source said.