Jamie Malonzo fired a career-best 34 points in the Green Archers' demolition of Adamson. UAAP
MANILA, Philippines -- Jamie Malonzo made sure to live up to the hype in his lone season for De La Salle University.
The swingman from Seattle impressed immediately, introducing himself to the UAAP by dunking on Ateneo de Manila University's Thirdy Ravena in their very first game. He went on to average 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in Season 82, while shooting 41.67% from the field.
La Salle failed to make it to the Final 4 for the second season in a row, but Malonzo went out with a bang: he fired a career-best 34 points in the Green Archers' 89-63 demolition of Adamson University in their final game on Wednesday.
"I'm just glad we got the win for our captain. I think our team, that was the most important part of today for our team. I'm just glad we're able to pull it off for Andrei (Caracut) here," said Malonzo, who had 12 rebounds in the win, too.
Malonzo won't deny that he hopes to have played longer in the UAAP, especially as he only got to spend one season as a Green Archer.
"Man, I wish I had more games to show, I wish we made the Final 4 so I could really have that chance to show," said Malonzo. "But, I mean, I think for what we had, I think I maximized it a little bit."
"There's some games we wish we could take back, but other than that, I'm proud with how the season ended, proud with how the seniors went out, and proud to wear the Green and White," he added.
With his collegiate career in the rearview, Malonzo is now looking forward to playing in the PBA. As a Fil-foreigner, he still needs to fulfill his PBA D-League requirements in order to qualify for the PBA Rookie Draft next year.
"I got a couple of games to play for that, and then I'll be able to enter my name in the next draft," said Malonzo.
"I think my papers should be fine. We've done a lot. We knew that we're gonna be in this position, so we've been working on this since Day 1," he added.
After giving fans a glimpse of his talents in his first and only season in La Salle, Malonzo believes he still has a lot more to offer.
"Not yet," he said when asked if he has shown his full potential. "I don't think so. I think there's more to show."
Malonzo is one of La Salle's three one-and-done players, along with James Laput and Keyshawn Meeker.
For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.