Air Ball

XV: This Guy, Really

JILL

"'Hawakan niyo ang bola. Hindi tayo nag-ta-touchball dito.' That was what Coach Pido said to the Tigers about the four turnovers in the first quarter and three in the second. He also said 'wag masyadong gigil' and to take it one step at a time. He reminded the boys not to force shots and look for the open man. Puso at tiwala. Tiwala sa sarili, at tiwala sa isa't-isa. Back to you, TJ." I closed my halftime report with a nervous smile which I hope the people at home don't notice.

The camera man and production assistant gave me a thumbs up after because they saw how jittery I was earlier. "Yung totoo, kuya Rodney, halata bang kinakabahan ako?" I asked the lighting assistant.

"Lahat naman ata kayo nagdaan sa ganyan. Pero maayos naman. Masasanay ka rin sa mga susunod na games. Tignan mo, pagdating mo sa UAAP chicken na 'yan." He replied. I bumped fists with him, the camera man, and the production assistant before walking back to my seat at the courtside.

There weren't a lot of students watching live since it's the FilOil preseason but at least my first day on-cam wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. To be honest, I'm starting to feel good about reporting the next games.

Trisha and Mark tapped me from behind and they, along with Kat and Claire, gave me a thumbs up as well. I smiled widely at them and shifted my attention back to the game for my report and write-up.

From: Almira Teng

hey jill! just watched your halftime report here at home. congrats on your first day on-cam! :)

Jeric isn't here to watch the Tigers' first game and my first on-cam reporting since he has a game of his own. I guess we both feel bad about not being able to cheer for each other. Not that I need to be cheered for though, but you get my point.

The Tigers won over Letran by two points. It was Ed's steal and Aljon's dunk that saved the game. Personally, I feel happy for Aljon. I hope there were more people to see it live.

After changing back to casual clothes, the team headed to a buffet restaurant. Kevin and Kent actually made fun of how my eyes lit up when I saw that long row of sushi. It was as if my eyes became a lomo cam and the only things I could focus on were the heavenly rolls calling out my name. Okay, too much love for sushi.

@jillsaavedra

Congrats on the first win, Tigers! More to come! :) #GoUSTe #FilOil (IG link)

I posted the team photo at the dugout and added another frame for our group photo at the restaurant. The other Tigers retweeted the photo and soon after, my timeline was filled with happy Thomasians. I also saw a tweet about RoS winning their game.

To: Jeric Teng

Yay! :) Congrats, Tiger boyfie! <3

@jillsaavedra

Tigers winning in the FilOil and RoS winning in the PBA. 'Tis a good day. <3

I bade the Tigers goodbye since Trisha, Mark, and I were to meet up at our favorite cupcake shop in Makati. It was our last bonding session for the summer since the both of them will be flying to Cebu the day after tomorrow. They're going to be reunited with the barkada while I'll be busy here in Manila. They promised me a lot of video calls though. OFW lang ang peg. Thank heavens for technology.

"Hey, sorry I took so long. Medyo natraffic ako e. Nagkamali pa ako ng sakay ng bus." I apologized as I sat down on the pretty couch. "How was the movie?"

"If I know, you were too busy stuffing your face with sushi." Mark teased.

"Maybe I got carried away a bit?" I chuckled.