THE road towards the professional ranks is long and often, a winding one. But for Cebuanos Brian Heruela and Jan Colina, it is a road that they must traverse if they are to fulfill their longstanding dreams of making it to the PBA.
And so far, the two former stalwarts of the University of Cebu are taking steps closer to their aspirations as they are making waves in the ongoing PBA D-League Aspirants Cup, leading their respective squads to the upper echelons of the league.
Heruela, a former Mythical Five member of the Cesafi, is currently tops in the tournament in both assists (8.1) and steals (2.4), and has become the lynchpin of the league-leading Big Chill Superchargers who sport an incredible 10-1 (win-loss) record. He also averages 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per outing.
And the 5-foot-10 bruising cat-quick guard effusively praised his head coach Robert Sison for handing him the reins to the team in the wake of the departure of former star, UAAP MVP Terrence Romeo.
“D-League has helped me a lot especially in continuously sharpening my game both mentally and physically. Thanks to our coach, Robert Sison, and the rest of our coaching staff and management. They help me every day in practice and in our games and point out what I need to improve on,” said Heruela in an interview before he was set to return to Manila to rejoin the squad after the holidays.
While it may have taken some time, Heruela feels that his adjustment to Manila’s brand of basketball has been pivotal to his development as a player.
“D- League is a huge factor in preparing myself for the next level, because it helps me build confidence and adapt to the Manila brand of basketball, which is a little different from Cebu,” Heruela added.
Colina on the other hand, has helped the Jumbo Plastic Linoleum Giants to an 8-2 record, second in the league behind Big Chill, with his averages of 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals in over 30 minutes of action. And the former fourth-round pick of GlobalPort during last year’s PBA draft is keen on finally stepping onto the professional stage for noble reasons.
“I just want to help my family overcome hardships in life,” Colina said.