Don't mess with Sol Train.
There's an extremely profound philosophical saying: Don't reach, young blood!
A kid in Macau learned that the hard way on Sunday. From no less than former PBA star Sol Mercado.
Mercado and fellow former PBA ace Jay Washington conducted a basketball clinic in the said city with the Macau Falcons as part of the social responsibility programs of the East Asia Super League (EASL). Mercado and Washington are official ambassadors of the EASL.
In one of the drills, Sol Train warded off a young participant using his arm while dribbling. He reposted a photo of it on his Instagram Story and wrote a hilarious caption.
"That was instinct. Forgot I was playing with 13-year-olds. #SorryNotSorry," jokingly said Mercado.
Talk about muscle memory.
During his peak in the PBA, Mercado was known as one of the strongest guys, regardless of height. Smaller guards simply bounced off him when he drove with force. And no one wanted to block his path when he penetrated at full speed. He could also hold his own defensively against bigger players, including imports (he will be the first to tell you that he locked up former Meralco Bolts import Allen Durham).
Good to see that he still has that dog in him.
Not good to see if you're the kid.
Seriously though, the three-time PBA champion, who retired in 2019, had fun spending time with young hoopers and getting reunited with Washington. It's always a great feeling for any athlete to give back and share wisdom.
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As Mercado showed, he's always just at arm's length.