Wounds of finals loss still fresh for Fajardo

Jane Bracher

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June Mar Fajardo is still licking the wounds of a tough finals loss

STILL STINGS. The heartbreaking 7-game finals loss to the San Mig Coffee Mixers is still fresh in the mind of Petron bigman June Mar Fajardo. File Photo by Josh Albelda/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly a month since the curtains fell on the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup, bigman June Mar Fajardo of the Petron Blaze Boosters is still licking the wounds of their finals loss to champions San Mig Coffee Mixers.

The 6-11 slotman out of Cebu finished the 2013 PBA season at an all-time high after starting off slow in the first two conferences. Fajardo was a vital factor in Petron’s impressive and dominating Governors’ Cup run. They just ran out of gas towards the end. 

Okay lang naman. Naka-move on na ako,” was Fajardo’s initial answer when asked how he has been doing since the tough loss. (I’m okay. I’ve moved on.)

Intimidating, as he may seem, Fajardo’s hesitant expression told a different story. He eventually admitted that the wounds are still there and he’s still trying to make peace with it.

“Yung nangyari kasi nung last conference ang hirap din kalimutan,” he told Rappler right after the opening ceremonies of the PBA’s 39th season.

“Nagpre-pretend lang ako na nakalimutan ko hanggang sa makalimutan ko na talaga.” (What happened last conference is hard to forget. I’m just pretending that I’ve forgotten until I actually do forget about it.)

Fajardo’s coping mechanism, it would seem, is to fake it until he makes it. And as of opening day, he is still in the middle of convincing himself he has moved on from the major defeat he suffered in his rookie year.

Medyo (a little),” he admitted he’s still pretending and laughed it off.

The beginning of a new season, however, may offer great comfort for the 2012 first overall pick who made a solid run for the Rookie of the Year award last season. 

He shared that practices over at the Petron camp are going well, although they have been focusing mostly on drills. He also observed the vast improvements most teams in the league have been experiencing over the offseason, singling out the much talked about Barangay Ginebra.

Sobrang lakas ng mga teams eh, kahit walang import. Yung Ginebra sobrang lakas. Kami, nagpra-practice kami ng mabuti para pag nakalaban namin sila, may laban kami.” (The teams are so strong, even without an import. Ginebra is very strong. We’re just practicing really hard so that when we face them, we could win.)

Among the most anticipated match-ups of this conference is between Fajardo and fellow Cebuano Greg Slaughter, who was the 2013 first overall draft pick and stands 7-feet tall.

But Fajardo was quick to say that it’s never about his own personal match-ups or gains. 

Hindi naman yun about sa amin dalawa eh. About yun sa team namin. Kung sino yung team na maglalaro (as a team) yun yung mananalo.” (It’s not about the two of us. It’s about our teams. Whoever plays as a team, that’s who will win.) 

With no imports bannering the season opening PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup, the pressure on Fajardo to deliver big for his team is mounting, even if he is just about to enter his second year in the PBA. (READ: PBA Preview: Petron Blaze Boosters)

Fajardo averaged 12.13 points, 9.33 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in his debut season, according to pba-online.net. This means much is expected of him as far as contribution and development is concerned.

Oo nga eh. Pero okay lang, as long as magtutulungan yung team. Walang imposible, kayang kaya,” he said, obviously finding solace in the fact that his teammates will be there to back him up. (Yeah. But it’s okay as long as the team helps one another. Nothing’s impossible, we can do it.)

The offseason hasn’t been a long one. Teams took a brief rest and went back to the basketball grind. So it’s understandable that the only major change Fajardo has seen in him, so far, is his hair.

Buhok lang nabago sa akin eh (My hair is the only thing that’s changed),” he cracked a brief joke before turning serious and hinting that the team looks to be on pace for a return trip to the finals.

Maganda yung programa namin ngayon. So hopefully makakatulong ‘to sa conference na ‘to.” (Our program right now is good. So hopefully it will help us this conference.) –Rappler.com

 

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