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SLAM Rising Stars: Prince Rivero

SLAM Rising Stars: Prince Rivero

SLAM Rising Stars: Prince Rivero from Gia Jamias on Vimeo.

Name: Prince Rivero

Age: 19

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 180 pounds

High School: La Salle Greenhills

Committed to: De La Salle University-Manila (UAAP)

Awards won: UAAP Season 74 Champion (NU Bullpups), NCAA 89 Mythical 5 member, Defensive Player of the Year, Season MVP

Pregame Ritual: “I wear everything starting with my left. Left shoes before right, left sock before right. I don’t put on my jersey until right before the game. Unconsciously, I started doing it. I tried to do it with the right first, pero parang malas eh. I took my shoes and socks off at the half and made it all left first. My game was better. Weird. ”

Songs on Repeat: “My brothers are the ones that put music in my phone. So, right now, I’ve been listening to mostly EDM.”

In-Game Kicks: “In the Finals of the NCAA, I wore the blue Kobe 8s. After that, I used the pink Hyperdunks. My game was pretty good that day.”

Postgame Kicks: “Vans or Jordans.”

Seniors Ready: “The way I communicate on the court. When I was playing in the juniors, it wasn’t normal for a player to talk on the floor. It makes the game easier for everyone if you are more vocal. If I talk, others will talk as well. We will know what each and everyone else on the court is doing.”

Needs Work On: “I need to work on my speed and my stamina. I need to trim down a bit as well so that I can move faster. Right now, I’ve been playing the 4. In college, baka gawin nila akong 3 and 4. This way, when I move up to the PBA, I can even transition to the 3 and maybe even the 2 position.”

Projection: There are a lot of factors that can decide how good of a player Prince Rivero will become. But before we tread into the unknown, what are the things that we are sure of?

Prince is a solid rebounder. He has the timing and the muscle to work in the post to get those missed shots. Rivero’s footwork might be the best out of all 24 players in the SLAM Rising Stars pool of players. The way that he moves can easily move him to different positions on the court depending on the match-ups that they will be facing.

The concern is how much time will Prince have on the floor with the Green Archers. It is now known that they will be going into the season with only 13 players once again. Considering that only LA Revilla has officially left the team, there is only one spot open from the original 13 players that made the cut last year. First off, will Rivero make the cut? And second, if he does, will he be able to get minutes away from the likes of Jason Perkins, Yutien Andrada, and Matt Salem?

I think that Prince has what it takes to make the team. I think that he has what it takes to get quality minutes down the road. But, the first season might be a little bit more of a learning season for him more than an instant impact one. At the end of his collegiate career, we could see a completely different player compared to what we might witness in his debut for the Green Archers.

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