Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray may be part of Ginebra's future, but coach Tim Cone has also described them as the team's weak links. The latter may be changing already.
Barangay Ginebra Coach Tim Cone has described Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray before as the Gin Kings’ “weak links”—largely because they have yet to fully grasp the Ginebra Way. Coach Cone, whose system is arguably among the most technical in local hoops, has a point. Malonzo was an offseason acquisition, while Gray missed the entire Philippine Cup.
Those days of being weak links, though, might soon be over for both Malonzo and Gray. In the Gin Kings’ quarterfinal sweep of Northport Batang Pier, the two Fil-Ams looked solid, steady, and sometimes spectacular.
Both were good in Game 1, contributors to an all-around team effort that powered the Gin Kings to the blowout. Both were even better in the closeout, underscoring that they are now becoming impact players for a contender.
Malonzo’s big stretch came in the second stanza, when his defense—three steals in the quarter alone—jumpstarted Ginebra’s spirited comeback from 19 points down.
Gray’s time came in the payoff period, just as the Batang Pier were threatening to eke out their own comeback bid. With the game still hanging in the balance, the 25-year-old hit three clutch mid-rangers, grabbed three important rebounds, and played solid defense, including on switch outs to the prolific Robert Bolick. Perhaps more important, Gray did not seem fazed by the moment, keeping his composure to play mostly mistake-free basketball in the fourth quarter of a tight playoff game.
That Gray played the entire fourth quarter of the Gin Kings’ series clinching win is a vote of confidence from Coach Cone, whose trust in rookies generally take time to build. Yet there was Gray, part of Ginebra’s closing unit—and actually getting the job done and rewarding his coach’s trust. This has been a long time coming for the soft-spoken Gray, who is still just a year removed from tearing his left ACL. So, he may very well have more to give, as does Malonzo.
Yes, the so-called weak links got the job done for the Gin Kings against Northport. But they will need to do more in the semis against the Magnolia Hotshots. And at the end of this Manila Clasico, we might know once and for all if Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray are no longer weak links.