Ateneo de Cebu’s Errol Pastor rises above UC’s Froilan Mangubat in Game 2 of the Cesafi juniors basketball finals at the Cebu Coliseum.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON
WITH THEIR season hanging in the balance and the University of Cebu Baby Webmasters breathing down their necks, the Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles were in desperate need of a savior.
And with a litany of baskets in the fourth period, Errol Pastor became exactly that for the Magis Eagles, in so doing, injecting new life into the team’s aspirations for a third straight title in the juniors division of the Cesafi basketball tournament.
After a dominant showing in the elimination and semifinal rounds, where they went unbeaten in 11 matches, the Magis Eagles have been a shadow of their former selves with Pastor and the team’s other sentinel, Jed Colonia, struggling with the blanket defense being thrown at them by UC. But instead of getting discouraged by the sudden developments, Pastor chose to seize the moment and make it his – and the Magis Eagles as well.
“Naisip ko na last na ito, so dapat doblehin ko ang effort ko at ibuhos ko na ang lakas ko,” shared the 16-year old, who was recruited to join the Magis Eagles from Cadiz City.
While local hoops followers may be surprised by the incredible composure displayed by the young man in the face of such incredible pressure being put forth by UC, basketball fans in Negros Occidental hardly batted an eyelash upon hearing of Pastor’s latest exploits, having already seen this kind of brilliance from the up-and-coming forward.
Pastor had previously teamed up with Bacolod’s finest and current Batang Gilas and Ateneo juniors star Sam Josef Belangel to capture the gold medal in the 3-on-3 tournament in the Batang Pinoy National Finals in Bacolod City.
From there, Pastor continued to build on his resume which eventually got the attention of current Ateneo de Cebu assistant coach Francis Auquico.
CEBU BRAND
OF BASKETBALL
“Pinuntahan nila ako sa bahay at kinausap yung parents ko. Gusto ko dito sa Ateneo de Cebu kasi aside sa makakakuha ako ng magandang edukasyon, magaling yung basketball program nila talaga,” shared Pastor, who admitted he had to get to the physicality of Cebu’s game compared to the naturally tame tempo of his home region.
“Naku, mas pisikal dito. Doon sa amin, sa pusta-pustahan ko lang nararamdaman yan,” said Pastor with an impish grin.
But with the deciding Game Three (see banner story) today, Pastor is prepared to wipe off the smile from his face and get down to business.
“Mas lalo pa namin lakasan ang depensa namin. Tsaka dapat mas i-rotate yung bola at huwag maging selfish sa opensa. Pero dapat mas mag-focus kami sa depensa. Ika nga, offense wins games but defense wins championships.”