Justin Chua still carries the burden of proof
“Akala ko gusto nila ako dito,” lamented Justin Chua days before the start of the 2014 PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup. “Akala ko kinuha nila ako kasi gusto nila ako.”
The GlobalPort Batang Pier were then playing a tune-up game against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. With their veterans playing limited minutes to reserve their legs for the season, the young bloods were give much of the playing time. Batang Pier head coach Richie Ticzon emptied out his bench and played everyone; except for Chua.
After that game the dejected player tried to stay positive. But how could he? After being drafted tenth overall in the 2013 PBA Draft, he was abruptly traded by the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. Now he spends most of his time on the bench when all of his teammates, including fellow rookies Terrence Romeo, RR Garcia, Nico Salva, and LA Revilla, got to some burn on the floor. If he was benched in a tune-up game, Chua knew that being benched in real games would be a definite possibility.
When the court cleared up, Chua dealt with the situation the best way he knows how. When other players would go home or complain, Chua picked up the ball and started shooting jumpers.
The frustrations melted with every shot the left-hander made. After 30 minutes of shooting, he packed his bags and headed home. He accepted his current situation and resolved that he’ll do everything he can to change it.
The first three games of the season turned out like the tune-up for Chua. He waited for his name to be called but he walked out of the court without a single drop of sweat.
Knowing that he won’t get any playing time, Chua started shooting during the morning on their game days. Not needing to reserve energy for the game, Chua killed himself in practice, canning jumper after jumper and honing his moves on the low block.
Before their game against Ginebra, Chua went through the same routine in the morning but he got a surprise before the game. “They told me to be ready kasi baka bunutin ako sa bench to guard Greg kasi kilala ko kung paano siya maglaro,” Chua said. “I was the last big off the bench pa rin. Second quarter medyo so-so. Pero nung second half I played much better.”
That second half started a string of good games for Chua. After 18 minutes on the court, the Ateneo graduate finally felt he was really a part of the PBA; after being let go of the team that drafted him and not getting playing time from the team that got him.
“Coach Tim (Cone) called me. He told me personally. He said ‘I don’t know if this will be good news or bad news for you, but we’re trading you to GlobalPort,’” Chua recalled.
Cone had nothing but good words about Chua after the draft. During the Mixers’ open tryout, the big man barely missed a shot.
“At first nagulat ako kasi ganun agad. Di pa man ako nakakalaro, na-trade na ako,” Chua said. “But I accepted that this is really how the PBA worked.”
“When I was benched for tuneup games, I doubted myself again. Iniisip ko na kung mababangko lang ako, mas magandang mabangko na lang sa winning team,” Chua admitted. “But on the other side, I’m already used to this situation. Sa college bangko rin naman ako. It was easier for me to cope na kahit di ako nagagamit I tried to maintain a positive attitude.”
Chua was part of what could very well be the best rookie class for Ateneo but during those times, most of the attention went to Salva and Ryan Buenafe. Chua was just the big guy; the and-1 to the Salva and Buenafe basket.
He toiled on the bench for two years behind Rabeh Al-Hussaini until he finally had his time to shine during his junior year.
“We won the three-peat and for me that was the most memorable of the five championships,” said Chua who tag-teamed with Frank Golla as Ateneo’s only two bigs. But during this campaign, Chua knew that Ateneo recruited Greg Slaughter. He knew that this could be the pinnacle of his collegiate career as he would be relegated to the bench in the following season.
But being the good soldier that he is, Chua accepted his fate and simply played his part.
“I wanted to be selfish and sit out my fifth year. Gusto ko sana before I finish college, may pangalan na ako,” Chua said. “I wanted to sit out pero sayang naman e. Sayang yung five-peat, sayang yung last coaching year ni coach Norman (Black). So I stuck with the team.”
It paid off for Chua. He won his fifth championship in five playing years; a feat that’s reserved for only a select few.
“The whole college experience is really helped me,” Chua said. “It molded me into a better athlete, into a better person.” After all the hardships he went through in college, Chua was molded into a tireless worker. From being just a big guy before college, he's now one of the rookie prospects who can be really good in the future.
In 11 PBA games, Chua averages six points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block per game; modest numbers but better than other rookies drafted ahead of him. Throughout his career, Chua has always carried the burden of proof. From fighting for playing time with Ateneo, to struggling to gain respect in the PBA, he always had to prove himself to people. Unlike his batchmates, Chua was never automatically liked. But he worked hard, day in and day out to prove that he is a good basketball player and that he belonged.
“I don’t want to prove anything to anyone,” Chua closed. “All I want is to work as hard as I can because I want to stay in the PBA for a long time."
