Pastor’s son in first-ever PBA finals

MANILA, Philippines — It’s not often that a PBA rookie is branded the X-factor in his first-ever finals appearance but Meralco’s Bong Quinto is a rare exception as the pastor’s son takes a major role in the Bolts’ best-of-7 Governors Cup title series against Barangay Ginebra starting Jan. 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Quinto, 25, was tapped by coach Norman Black to start at the three spot in Nico Salva’s place in Meralco’s third game this conference after the Bolts lost a 105-99 decision to NLEX. He started twice in the Philippine Cup but came off the bench exclusively in the Commissioner’s Cup before Black made the switch. Quinto has since started every contest, including the 89-78 clincher over TNT in Game 5 of the semifinals where he hit a career-high 19 points.

“Grateful ako kay coach Norman for giving me the chance,” said Quinto. “Work hard ako sa practice, double effort. Even as a rookie, binigyan ako ni Coach ng kompyansa to do my role as floor spacer and defender. Ang goal ko is to contribute, yun lang. Tiwala ako sa Diyos to stay focused. Malaking bagay sina A. D. (Allen Durham), Baser (Amer), New (Chris Newsome), Cliff (Hodge) at Raymond (Alamazan). Silang mga lider namin. Noong nawala sina J. D. (Jared Dillinger), KG (Canaleta) at Mike (Tolomia), nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon to play more. Accept ko naman ang challenge to repay Coach for his trust.”

Playing in the finals is a surreal experience for Quinto and he’s ready to give it his all. The Bolts took a break from practice yesterday and will resume workouts at the Meralco gym from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. “Kita ko sa mga mata ni A. D., sobrang focused to win,” he said. “Twice kami tinalo ng Ginebra sa finals. Babawi kami ngayon. We’ll be prepared. Coach is pushing us. Si A. D., hindi swapang. Team effort ang kailangan. We’ll be playing against Ginebra’s crowd but we’re confident. If we play together, we’ll win even if Ginebra plays a big lineup.”

Quinto said he learned a lot from his previous coaches to get himself to this level. “In high school, coach Monch (Gavieres) taught me how to play big even if I was only 5-10,” he said. “In college, coach Caloy (Garcia) gave me the breaks then coach Aldin (Ayo) taught me how to play defense and coach Jeff (Napa) developed my offense. In the MPBL, we won a championship with coach Mac (Tan) and I played for coach Jeff in the D-League. My idol is Carmelo Anthony and I’m working hard to be consistent with my pull-up like him.”

Against Ginebra, Quinto said he expects to match up against Scottie Thompson or Stanley Pringle or even Justin Brownlee. “Idol ko sa Ginebra si Mark Caguioa,” he said. “Hook shot niya, impossible to block. Kung si Scottie ang bantay ko, dapat never ako mag-lose ng focus, dapat box out ko siya kasi sobrang taas tumalon. Huwag ako maging emotional, dapat cool lang. Kung si Pringle, dapat harap ko siya. Parang Kyrie Irving siya gumalaw kaya mahirap pigilin. Kung si Brownlee, ibang klaseng depensa ang kailangan.” Quinto said he’ll defend whomever Black assigns. He could be Meralco’s X-factor.

Quinto was Meralco’s second round pick last year and with his performance as a rookie, is now hailed as the steal of the draft. He’s dedicating the finals to his parents Danilo and Jocelyn. The youngest of four, Quinto is as religious as his father, a United Pentecostal Church pastor. A sister works with Tesla in San Francisco and brother Kristian, a TIP graduate, is employed by a US company in Manila. His father was a tricycle and taxi driver and used to deliver vegetables in an owner jeep until he became a full-time pastor three years ago. Quinto’s one-year contract is expiring at the end of the season and he’s been assured of a well-deserved extension. A championship would be a storybook ending to Quinto’s rookie year.