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How FEU women's team helped Mac Belo get into the PBA

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/10/27/mac-belo.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Mac Belo during the first day of the PBA Draft Combine last Wednesday. Photo courtesy of PBA Media Bureau</div></figcaption></figure> MANILA, Philippines – Two days before his professional basketball career begins, Far Eastern University (FEU) star Mac Belo remembers the time when he did not think he could ever play in the PBA.Despite having raw talent and impressive physical tools that made him a perfect fit for the sport, Belo did not often display his basketball ability back when he was in North Cotabato.&quot;Sa probinsiya kasi… nahihiya kasi ako dati,&quot; said Belo on Friday at the SLAM Draft Suite in Resorts World. &quot;Hindi ako naglalaro-laro masyado sa mga basketball sa amin.&quot;It was not until he went to FEU and watched the PBA more closely that he realized he can one day join their ranks. &quot;Sabi ko, noong nanonood ako ng PBA, sabi ko may chance pala ako,&quot; he said. &quot;Malaki &#x27;yung chance ko na makapag-laro dito.&quot;Having realized that he has the talent to make it to the big leagues, Belo proceeded to put in the work needed to reach his dream. He toiled in FEU&#x27;s Team B for two years before finally breaking into the line-up, and quickly became one of the Tamaraws&#x27; most dependable options.His best moments came in his final two years for the Tams. Belo drained the buzzer-beating triple against De La Salle University that sent FEU to Season 77 Finals, where they would lose to National University (NU) in three games. One season later, he scored another buzzer-beater, this time against Ateneo de Manila University, to book another Finals berth. This time around, the Tams won&#x27;t be denied as they beat University of Santo Tomas in three games, and Belo was named Finals MVP.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2015/sports/macbelo.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Mac Belo gives his mother a kiss after being named the Finals MVP for his performance against the Growling Tigers. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN Sports</div></figcaption></figure></div>But before the buzzer beaters, before the championship, and the Finals MVP trophy, Belo first had to hone his basketball skills. Coming from the province, he was clearly athletic and talented, but also very, very raw – almost a blank slate when it came to skills.&quot;Alam mo &#x27;yung zero ka talaga?&quot; he says. &quot;Galing kang probinsya, pagdating mo sa Maynila, parang na-culture shock ka na ganito pala ang basketball dito.&quot;&quot;Kasi sa probinsya, wala namang practice-practice eh,&quot; Belo adds. &quot;Pag may laro lang, punt aka lang, &#x27;di ba?&quot;Belo may have been a blank slate – a zero, he said – but in that sense, he was also like a sponge who was willing to learn and was quick to absorb anything he was taught. His basketball education kicked into higher gear, thanks to an unlikely source – the FEU women&#x27;s basketball team, with help from Coach Bert Flores.&quot;Naalala ko pa dati na pinagte-training pa niya ako sa women&#x27;s (team) ng FEU,&quot; said Belo. &quot;Unang dating ko sa FEU, wala talaga ako eh. Wala akong alam sa basketball.&quot;He did not know the terms used inside the court, or the drills that have now become second nature to him. Early one morning, Flores saw the young recruit jogging and urged him to join the women&#x27;s team in its 6 a.m. practice.&quot;&#x27;Yung mga drills lang, mga dribbling. Fundamentals,&quot; said Belo. &quot;Doon ako sumasabay. Noong una nga, sabi ko mas magagaling pa ata ang mga babae kaysa sa akin ah.&quot;Belo practiced with a powerhouse FEU women&#x27;s team that featured Raiza Palmera and Allana Lim. &quot;Malakas &#x27;yung team nila,&quot; he was quick to say, adding that they even scrimmaged against the Lady Tamaraws at times.Belo, the blank slate, relished what he learned while practicing with the women&#x27;s team. &quot;&#x27;Yung mind ko, kumbaga, fresh na pumapasok lahat &#x27;yung mga drills. Ganito pala ang tawag sa mga dribble na ito,&quot; he said.Belo never stopped learning, and never stopped working. Once a raw recruit for FEU, he became arguably the UAAP&#x27;s best two-way player in Season 78 – able to guard multiple positions while also able to score from nearly all spots on the floor. He was still athletic, still capable of dunking on opposing big men, but he also shot over 32% from beyond the arc, a more than respectable percentage.He also had no trouble bringing the ball down whenever FEU&#x27;s key guard, Mike Tolomia, was pressured, and was able to create shots for his teammates as well. In his final playing year, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while playing only 25 minutes per game.He averaged a double-double 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in the Final Four and the Finals, en route to Finals MVP honors. Since then, basketball has not stopped for Mac Belo. He played in the PBA D-League, was named to the Gilas Cadet pool, and led the young national team in the FIBA Asia Challenge last September.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Maybe not the biggest names but this group got game. Can <a href="https://twitter.com/SmartGilas">@SmartGilas</a> win a medal on their 1st-ever <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3x3WCH?src=hash">#3x3WCH</a> appearance? <a href="https://t.co/bWBvkM6yxq">pic.twitter.com/bWBvkM6yxq</a>— FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA3x3/status/784303867588554754">October 7, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="~//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>His long basketball journey – which brought him from North Cotabato to Morayta and to various countries – will open a new chapter on Sunday in the 2016 PBA Rookie Draft. Belo has been the consensus top pick for PBA coaches, in Gilas pool that also includes Jiovani Jalalon and Kevin Ferrer.&quot;Masaya ako kasi napapansin ng mga coach &#x27;yung career ko, umpisa noong college days ko hanggang ngayon,&quot; he said. &quot;Nakikita nila &#x27;yung hard work ko.&quot;&quot;Siguro,&quot; he added, &quot;&#x27;Yung talent ko rin, nakikita nila. Masaya ako sa ganoon.&quot;Blackwater Elite coach Leo Isaac told reporters last Thursday that they have been &quot;locked in&quot; on Belo as their pick in the Gilas draft. Belo will join a Blackwater team will immediately require him to contribute, especially after they traded their No. 1 scoring option, Carlo Lastimosa, earlier this week.&quot;Andoon &#x27;yung pressure,&quot; Belo conceded, knowing that unlike other rookies, he won&#x27;t have the luxury of being eased in slowly into a starring role. &quot;Na-pressure din ako sa ganoon, pero ready naman ako na i-accept &#x27;yung challenge.&quot;&quot;Kahit ano iharap sa akin, ready lang ako.&quot;For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a></div>

Two days before his professional basketball career begins, Far Eastern University (FEU) star Mac Belo remembers the time when he did not think he could ever play in the PBA.

Two days before his professional basketball career begins, Far Eastern University (FEU) star Mac Belo remembers the time when he did not think he could ever play in the PBA.

How FEU women's team helped Mac Belo get into the PBA

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How FEU women's team helped Mac Belo get into the PBA

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 28, 2016 11:13 PM PHT

Read More:

PBA Rookie Draft

Mac Belo

Gilas Pilipinas

FEU Tamaraws

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