After being reprimanded, Castro responds with stellar game in TNT’s semis berth-clinching win

MANILA, Philippines — A tongue-lashing from head coach Chot Reyes after their previous loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup may have given TNT star Jayson Castro a huge boost in his game Thursday against Hong Kong Eastern. 

Castro, against Eastern on Thursday evening, ended up with a stellar performance of 16 points, three rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes of play. Thirteen of his total points came in the third quarter alone.

And with the Tropang Giga’s win, they stamped their ticket to the semifinals while booting out the guest team, 109-93.

Castro’s performance Wednesday was vastly different from what he had in TNT’s 106-96 loss to Rain or Shine, where the guard scored just three points in 21 minutes of action. 

After Thursday’s game, Reyes said that he scolded Castro for how he played in their last game. 

“I just want to comment on the kind of veteran, the kind of leader that Jayson is, because pinagalitan ko talaga siya the last game, he had a bad game against Rain or Shine,” he told reporters.

“So I said, in front of the team, I said that kind of effort, that kind of defense was not acceptable. And yun ang maganda sa team namin, and Jayson is the perfect example of the ability and the willingness to accept feedback, to accept negative feedback, and use it to their advantage,” he added. 

“Kasi sa amin, we're very direct, but everything is for the good of the team, so great bounce-back for Jayson.” 

The 38-year-old Castro, for his part, said he just wanted to lead by example for his younger teammates.

“Of course, matagal na tayo dito sa PBA. Matagal na rin kaming magkasama ni Coach Chot. As a veteran, kailangan mong [i-ready] mo yung sarili mo sa mga ganung situations kasi tinitignan ako ng mga ibang teammate ko e,” he said. 

“Yun nga, paano mag-bounce back and at the same time, makabawi man lang sa game na ito. So, yung mga ganun sa amin, sobrang natural lang e. And thank you for Coach Chot na pinapagalitan ako, ibig sabihin may value pa ako sa team.” 

He also stressed that he is just eager to win and contribute to the team, as they aim to make it back to the finals once again.

“As one of the veterans sa team, kailangang maging good example. So yun ang motivation ko.” 

TNT will be taking on the winner of the best-of-three clash between Converge FiberXers and Rain or Shine. The FiberXers are currently leading 1-0 and will be shooting for a sweep Friday evening.