The Fast and The Fireball: Helterbrand finds spark in Urbiztondo

MANILA, Philippines – Jayjay Helterbrand is missing his old buddy Mark Caguioa on the court.

But last Saturday night, Helterbrand brandished the chemistry he formed with Caguioa through the years with his new teammate Josh Urbiztondo.

The man wearing jersey no. 13 in the Ginebra San Miguel lineup scored all of his season-high 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Kings force a do-or-die game tonight against second seed Rain or Shine for a spot in the Final Four.  Two of the three triples he hit in that vintage fourth quarter came from Urbiztondo’s assist. (read related story here: http://philstar.com:8080/sports/2013/04/21/933584/helterbrands-vintage-night-sparks-ginebra-comeback)

While Urbiztondo had only a couple of days of practice before his debut with Ginebra, the former Barako Bull playmaker-slash-streaky-shooter hit it off immediately with his new teammates especially Helterbrand.

“His [Josh Urbiztondo] first day in practice, he knew the plays right away. I was amazed. And our chemistry (doing our practice scrimmage) was already there. And it showed on the court. He’s able to penetrate and kick out, thank God I was able to hit the shot,” Helterbrand said.

It was that kind of bond which made Helterbrand and Caguioa famous as The Fast and The Furious tandem among the die-hard Ginebra fans.

While the fans have been missing that exciting pair play beautiful music together like the old times, Urbiztondo brought back the nostalgia tearing a page from the tandem’s playbook on that Saturday night classic.

In one lull moment at the height of Ginebra’s never-say-die comeback, Caguioa was seen giving Urbiztondo instructions. 

It was the spark that The Fireball needed to fuel The Fast.

Tonight, Caguioa remains doubtful to play but the die-hard Ginebra fans are hoping the new pair of The Fast and The Fireball can rock the Big Dome the way they did at the Mall of Asia Arena last Saturday night.