PBA Philippine Cup

Blackwater proven right by drafting Ato Ular

Delfin Dioquino

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Blackwater proven right by drafting Ato Ular

RISING STAR. Ato Ular has scored in double figures in all of his first six PBA games.

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Second-round draftee Ato Ular explodes for a career-high 34 points as Blackwater continues to exceed expectations in the PBA

MANILA, Philippines – Super rookie Ato Ular continues to prove to Blackwater that the Bossing made the right decision to draft him.

The Tarlac native erupted for a career-high 34 points on top of 10 rebounds as Blackwater stretched its winning streak in the PBA Philippine Cup with a 91-89 escape against Phoenix on Friday, July 8.

Showing that his Player of the Week citation is no fluke, the 13th overall selection shot an ultra-efficient 15-of-21 clip to power the Bossing to their fourth straight victory.

But Blackwater almost came close to picking another player as Bossing coach Ariel Vanguardia bared they considered drafting Fuel Masters’ rookie Chris Lalata.

“It was a choice between Lalata and Ular,” Vanguardia said in a mix of Filipino and English. “They both played great during the Draft Combine.”

Blackwater eventually pulled the trigger on the 27-year-old forward, mainly for the reason that he won an NCAA championship with the Letran Knights in Season 95.

Lalata, on the other hand, landed at Phoenix as the No. 16 pick.

That turned out to be an excellent move as Ular now plays a pivotal role in the resurgence of the Bossing, who have turned their fortunes around after winning just one game last season.

Ular – who plays bigger than his 6-foot-4 frame – has scored in double figures in all of his first six PBA games and leads Blackwater in scoring with 17.7 points on a 61% shooting to go with 7.7 rebounds.

His 34 points are the most by any second-round draftee since Jeff Chan fired 34 points for Rain or Shine against Barako Bull in December 2013, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon.

“The best is yet to come,” said Vanguardia. “Like Ato, he won Best Player, Player of the Week, then scored 34 points. The best is still yet to come.”

Whether Ular can sustain his fine play will be determined when Blackwater tangles with league-leading San Miguel on Sunday, July 10, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com

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Delfin Dioquino

Delfin Dioquino dreamt of being a PBA player, but he did not have the skills to make it. So he pursued the next best thing to being an athlete – to write about them. He took up journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and joined Rappler as soon as he graduated in 2017.