From playing a few minutes in the final quarter to starting for Gilas Pilipinas.
The Gilas Pilipinas crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum roared in approval when Rhenz Abando was called as a starter in the classification game against South Sudan on Thursday.
And the 6-foot-2 guard showed he was raring to prove what he got with two immediate blocks on the 6-foot-7 Kuany Ngor Kuany and Chicago Bulls player Carlik Jones within three minutes of action.
"That was amazing. I remember, I think he blocked me twice?" Kuany laughed as he recalled the moment to One Sports.
He did get blocked by Abando twice. The second was in the third quarter when the Filipino guard denied another of Kuany's three-point attempt.
"Really, really athletic. He can move well, move his feet well, kudos to him," the South Sudan team captain said.
"Whenever you see someone like that playing defense, initially picks everybody else up. We have to get his back, we have to play the same way he does," Kuany added.
"He gave Carlik some work. Carlik had to work to get those points."
After Abando's block on Jones, the Bulls guard went off for a near triple-double of 17 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists in the Bright Stars' 87-68 victory over Gilas.
"He's a great defender. He plays hard, physical," Jones shared. "I've had my shot blocked a million times. That doesn't stop me from going to the rim, playing my game."
"It usually means you make an adjustment. That's what I did to get the win," Jones added as he expected the loud crowd and the third quarter surge from Gilas, "I like to call myself 'Mr. Fourth Quarter'."
Abando saw very limited minutes in the games against the Dominican Republic and Angola, but he got significant playing time against Italy. The Anyang KGC player used that to make eight points, two rebounds, and a block.
He admitted to One Sports how he was raring to have those minutes against Italy.
"Saya, pero actually tagal kong inantay eh," Abando admitted to One Sports after the game against the Azzurri. "Nanggigil din ako na maglaro kasi gusto ko rin patunayan sarili ko sa harap ng crowd."
Kuany sees nothing but a positive outlook for Abando.
"Kudos to him, he really brought the energy. Very happy coach trusted him with those minutes. Showed what he can do," he said.
"Stay aggressive on defense, be aggressive on offense," Kuany added. "He has a bright future ahead of him.
(With reports from Paolo Mariano, One Sports)
(CF)