FROM Mark Barroca, to Beau Belga. Now add Kelly Williams to the list of battle-scarred veterans who continue to make their presence felt in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The 42-year-old Williams notched a double-double in TNT's come-from-behind 108-101 win over Phoenix Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The one-time MVP had 17 points and 13 rebounds and was among those who played a pivotal role when the Tropang Giga made a huge third quarter run that allowed the team to turn around a 23-point deficit on the way to notching win no. 5 in nine outings.
Coach Chot Reyes lauded the effort being made by his Fil-Am forward who continues to be competitive even against younger players while suiting up for his 17th season in the league - including the last 14 with the telecommunication franchise.
"Two things, challenge and conditioning. So the veterans are seeing the challenge from the young ones, and they are doing extra work on their conditioning. And we're seeing that in the games of guys like Kelly, Mark (Barroca), Beau (Belga), and even Perk (Jason Perkins)," said the TNT mentor.
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"We know everyone in the league is paying extra attention to their nutrition, to their off-court work, really improving on their conditioning fitness and regimen. So that's what we're seeing now."
Williams' double-double was his second this conference after a statline of 11 and 13 during TNT's 92-90 win over Meralco two weeks ago.
For the tournament, the former no. 1 overall pick is averaging 6.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 24 minutes of play as part of the regular starting unit of Reyes.
But Williams deflect the credit and said the entire TNT team needs to work as a group in its bid to make it back to the playoffs.
"We just have to be able to put together a complete game. I think that's the focus for us now. I think it's all important for us to reflect on what we can do to improve and be locked in from the first minute to the 48th," said the veteran Fil-Am.(RG)
