MANILA, Philippines – Losing the Asian Games gold medal to a Gilas Pilipinas crew led by Justin Brownlee and coach Tim Cone still stings for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
So best believe Hollis-Jefferson will be in top form when he meets Brownlee and Cone again as he and TNT defend their PBA Governors’ Cup title against Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-seven finals starting on Sunday, October 27.
“I’m still not over that loss,” said Hollis-Jefferson, who fell short of leading Jordan to its first-ever Asian Games title.
Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan installed themselves as the favorites to capture the Asian Games crown when they reached the final unbeaten in five games — an impressive stretch that included a 25-point win over the Philippines.
But Brownlee and Gilas Pilipinas got the job done when it mattered most, putting the clamps on Hollis-Jefferson and beating Jordan, 70-60, in the gold-medal game as the team ruled the Asian Games for the first time since 1962.
Dismaying that may be, that defeat — and all the other painful losses he has endured — have shaped Hollis-Jefferson into becoming a better player.
“I still hold on to my senior high school loss, my last game of my career, I lost to Lower Merion,” said Hollis-Jefferson, with his Chester High School losing the state title to the same school late NBA legend Kobe Bryant attended.
“I still hold on to that, to this day. I hold on to my Elite Eight losses to Frank Kaminsky,” he added, referring to his Arizona getting the boot from Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2015.
“Those things motivate me to take it a step higher, working harder, just to not run out of batteries.”
Hollis-Jefferson, though, made it clear he is not out for revenge.
“That’s a national thing. It’s the first time the Philippines won the gold medal? So when you think about it on that scale, if I take that from you and send you with the silver medal, how would the Philippines feel?” said Hollis-Jefferson.
“That’s how I felt, even though I’m not blood and like that. I still felt that way to be out there and come up short.”
Hollis-Jefferson has pumped life back into a Tropang Giga side that suffered a pair of quarterfinal exits in the last two conferences as TNT reached the finals winning 15 of its 19 games.
A strong contender to retain the Best Import honors, Hollis-Jefferson enters the finals with averages of 28 points, 12.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.9 blocks.
But his mettle will be put to the test anew against Brownlee and the Gin Kings, who seek to regain lost glory in a conference they ruled four times in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021.
“He’s a phenomenal player, he’s excellent, and I know he’s going to bring his A game,” said Hollis-Jefferson of Brownlee. “He’s going to do everything to help his team win. So that just gives me motivation.” – Rappler.com