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John Bryan Ulanday - The Philippine Star
March 31, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Jayson Castro may have found his heir.
His name is Rey Nambatac, a former Letran Knight rising through the ranks in less than a year since his arrival in the TNT stable.
“‘Yun ang sinabi niya sa akin, ‘ito na ‘yung team mo.’ Sabi niya sa akin, ikaw na ‘yung magstep-up diyan. Ikaw na ‘yan, sayo na ‘yan,” said Nambatac, the Finals MVP awardee in the just-concluded PBA Commissioners’ Cup.
Nambatac, the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft by Rain or Shine who had a short gig with Blackwater before finding his way to TNT, got the blessing from Castro in the semifinals when the latter went down with a season-ending knee injury.
And Nambatac didn’t disappoint his guru, embracing the challenge and the responsibility by registering averages of 17.85 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the finals.
He saved his best for last, tallying 22 points, two rebounds, four assists in three steals in their 87-83 overtime win in Game 7 Sunday.
Nambatac’s Finals MVP citation mirrored Castro’s feat in the Governors’ Cup.
“Pinapasalamatan ko ‘yung mentor ko na si kuya Jayson para sa award na ito. Kung ‘di dahil sa kanya, wala ako dito ngayon at hindi ako magstep up nang ganito,” Nambatac said.
Castro, who’s coming off a successful operation to repair his full thickness patellar tendon tear on his right knee but showed up in the venue to support his teammates during Games 6 and 7, refused to take the credit on Nambatac’s arrival as the new TNT lead gun.
“No (wala ‘yun). Siguro dahil yun nga, may mga advices ako sa kanya pero sobrang deserve niya yung award na yun kasi kita mo naman nag-take over talaga siya magmula nung nawala ako so ang galing. Ang galing ni Rey,” said Castro.
“Oo naman siya na ‘yung susunod. Kita nyo naman talaga even sa elims, sya yung starter, sya lahat. Lalo na ngayong finals. ‘Yung performance niya, ibang klase.”
For the 10-time champion, five-time Best Player of the Conference and three-time Finals MVP Castro, Nambatac earned his stripes in this smooth changing of the guard, and it’s only a matter of time when he would fully assume the throne in the TNT realm.
