Bolts newcomer Belo impresses with offensive clinic over NorthPort

In college and in the PBA, Mac Belo has always been that quiet workhorse that any team could seamlessly integrate into their rotation.

For PBA Season 46, the former FEU star now finds himself a new home with the Meralco Bolts after an offseason trade from the Blackwater Bossing, and just in his debut game, he already made yet another great first impression.

Belo methodically picked apart the scattered NorthPort Batang Pier defense en route to an 85-63 Meralco shutdown and came away with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, a huge jump from his 11.4 points per game average in the previous bubble season.

That was more than enough to earn the praise of decorated head coach Norman Black.

“Mac Belo is a professional. I mean, he came in and immediately blended with the team. He’s very quick as far as learning systems and learning plays. I haven’t had any problems with him,” he said.

Just in his first game, Belo already led the famously balanced Bolts offense without stopping its ball movement, while also playing a big part in clamping down the Batang Pier to a frigid 20% clip and a franchise-worst point tally.

“He seems to be enjoying being a part of the Meralco team and he showed [that] tonight on the court because he led us to this victory. He’s a big addition to our team, and hopefully he can continue playing well in our future games.”

Belo and the deep Bolts roster will soon see whether this level of play is an anomaly or the norm moving forward.

On Sunday, July 18, they will face the almighty San Miguel Beermen now featuring scoring champion CJ Perez and the returning six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo. – Rappler.com