Cesafi MVP Rey Suerte of CheLu Bar & Grill puts up a shot against the Letran defense. | PBA Images
Cebu City, Philippines — Reigning Cesafi MVP Rey Anthony Suerte admitted to feeling butterflies in his stomach prior to his very first game in the PBA D-League but added that he felt more confident as the game wore on.
Suerte, the proud son of Monkayo in Compostela and a product of the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, went on to put up an impressive debut in the Foundation Cup as he tallied 15 points to help the Che’Lu Bar and Grill come away with a thrilling 96-94 win over Petron-Letran on Thursday, February 28, 2019, at the Ynares Sports Arena.
“First, medyo naka feel kog nerbyos kay mao lage, ibang level na akong giduwaan pero nag adjust ko. Dapat relax lang and stick sa systema lang jud,” said the high-leaping 6-foot-3 wingman who helped UV capture a third straight Cesafi seniors championship in 2018.
Also, after spending his entire amateur career playing in Cebu, the new playing environment filled with bigger and faster players took some getting used to, says Suerte.
“Mas more competitive ang mga teams diri and more systematic,” he added.
Although his scoring output was impressive especially with his rookie status, Suerte related that his head coach, Steve Tiu, told him that he still has to work on adjusting to the team’s system, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
“It’s a good game daw ingon sa among head coach but still, I need to adjust pa sa systema in terms sa team defense namo,” he said. /bmjo