SAN Miguel Beer player Jay Washington has mixed feelings about his situation in basketball. This was after the Beermen’s veteran players Danny Seigle, Dondon Hontiveros, Dorian Pena and Paul Artadi were traded for younger players from Air21.
Suddenly, Washington found himself as one of the team’s older players, now being given leadership roles, including stepping into the shoes of Seigle.
“Definitely, the trade came as a surprise especially when I look at our team as family. But then, it had to be done if we are looking at the future. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time yet to jell together. The other team felt the immediate impact positively, while we may feel the effect in the long haul. We would have definitely done better in the conference, without the change,” said Washington after his team got booted out in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
On the other hand, he also believes that the new players they got, Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Rey Guevarra, will be a big part of the team’s future.
“They just need to know what we are doing. Definitely, there was no effort on our part to put them aside, nothing like that, just give us more time,” added Washington.
“I feel more pressure and being older now, I know I need to make adjustments with my play. I cannot be an inside-outside guy anymore, but instead, be more of a post -up player. I learned a lot of things from Danny (Seigle) and now, Danny I ( Ildefonso) is the one teaching me,” said Washington, who has made it to the PBA All-Stars for the third time, but added this is the only time that he really felt honored.
Looking to the future, Washington is eyeing more championships for his team.
“I am not into individual awards, these come with championships. Beyond basketball, together with my fiancé, we are thinking of putting up a business here. My mother who is from Leyte, wants to retire here by next year, so we are planning to build a house in the Philippines. I will consider a coaching job here. In fact, if not for basketball, I could have been a teacher as I majored in history in college at Eckard in Florida.”
Lito Cinco, Manila Standard Today
