Rafael Go finally made his mark in NCAA Season 98, helping Colegio de San Juan de Letran pick up a 77-69 victory over San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Wednesday.
The rookie forward finished with 11 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field and 1-for-1 from the stripe, alongside two rebounds and two assists, in only 18 minutes of action as the Knights finally snapped their two-game losing skid.
"Ginrab ko lang 'yung opportunity na binigay ni coach (Bonnie Tan)," said the 21-year-old Go, who was part of the Letran team's bubble as a reserve in Season 97 but is playing for the first time this season.
"Siguro mabo-boost 'yung kumpiyansa ko tapos kapag ginamit ulit ako, iga-grab ko lang ulit at mag-step up kung kailangan. Sobrang laking motivation."
Prior to the game, the 6-foot-4 bruiser had only played two games where he posted averages of 1.0 point, 1.0 rebound, and 0.5 blocks in 5:35 minutes on the court.
But Go got plenty of action as the Knights escaped the Stags for their fourth win in seven games.
For Tan, he just wanted to use as many players as he can in their bid to bag the title for three straight seasons.
"Kasi as a coach, we need players, resources sa isang giyera and 'yun ang hinahanap ko sa mga rookies ko kasi kaunti na 'yung mga veterans natin," said the mentor.
"So kahit paisa-isa nasusuklian nila 'yung trust na binigay ng coaches sa kanila at ng school para makipag-compete sa NCAA."
—JMB, GMA News
