(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)
TOO often, his confidence has been mistaken for arrogance.
All the loose talk on his cocky on-court nature, however, hasn’t ruffled Paul Rico Maierhofer a bit.
“Either you love him or you hate him,” Maierhofer says, quite candidly, of himself. “I’ve been told that there’s no in-between when it comes to people’s impressions of me.”
As the current top rookie in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), however, Maierhofer proved once again that he has all the goods to back up the perceived conceit.
“Inaamin ko nagiging mayabang ako sa court [I admit I can get cocky on court],” Maierhofer says. “I think nadadala lang ng competitiveness ko sa sports yung emotions ko. Yun ang yabang na nakikita nila sa akin [I get carried away by my emotions because of my competitiveness in sports. That’s the arrogance people perceive].”
For four seasons, Maierhofer made his mark as a sensational and colorful stalwart of the La Salle Green Archers in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Although his college-days notoriety was compounded by a controversial dirty finger flashing incident during La Salle’s epic 2008 UAAP championship showdown against rival Ateneo, there’s no arguing that Maierhofer has emerged as a much sought-after amateur cager with his impressive athleticism, nimble post plays and defensive prowess.
And it was his multitudinous skills, rather than his polarizing nature, that the Purefoods TJ Giants saw come draft day for the 2009 PBA season.
“Rico is an extremely athletic player who can jump out of the gym,” Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said after the Giants picked Maierhofer second overall in the PBA Rookie Draft last August. “He can play multiple positions. He has the height of the big man and the quickness of a guard. He will obviously complement our shooters because he has an uncanny ability to play off the ball and score on putbacks.”
True enough, Maierhofer showed these past months that his lanky 6-foot-6 frame can hold up against the burly veterans in the professional league.
“Mahirap sa PBA, bugbugan [It’s hard in the PBA, it can get rough],” Maierhofer says. “I’m only 180 pounds and I’m playing against opponents who are at least 200 to 220 pounds. Bugbog talaga, pero yun ang sacrifice ko. Dinadaan ko na lang sa speed and determination [The games are very physical, but that’s something I have to take. I just make up for it with speed and determination].”
Not that Maierhofer isn’t used to rough play.
TOO often, his confidence has been mistaken for arrogance.
All the loose talk on his cocky on-court nature, however, hasn’t ruffled Paul Rico Maierhofer a bit.
“Either you love him or you hate him,” Maierhofer says, quite candidly, of himself. “I’ve been told that there’s no in-between when it comes to people’s impressions of me.”
As the current top rookie in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), however, Maierhofer proved once again that he has all the goods to back up the perceived conceit.
“Inaamin ko nagiging mayabang ako sa court [I admit I can get cocky on court],” Maierhofer says. “I think nadadala lang ng competitiveness ko sa sports yung emotions ko. Yun ang yabang na nakikita nila sa akin [I get carried away by my emotions because of my competitiveness in sports. That’s the arrogance people perceive].”
For four seasons, Maierhofer made his mark as a sensational and colorful stalwart of the La Salle Green Archers in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Although his college-days notoriety was compounded by a controversial dirty finger flashing incident during La Salle’s epic 2008 UAAP championship showdown against rival Ateneo, there’s no arguing that Maierhofer has emerged as a much sought-after amateur cager with his impressive athleticism, nimble post plays and defensive prowess.
And it was his multitudinous skills, rather than his polarizing nature, that the Purefoods TJ Giants saw come draft day for the 2009 PBA season.
“Rico is an extremely athletic player who can jump out of the gym,” Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said after the Giants picked Maierhofer second overall in the PBA Rookie Draft last August. “He can play multiple positions. He has the height of the big man and the quickness of a guard. He will obviously complement our shooters because he has an uncanny ability to play off the ball and score on putbacks.”
True enough, Maierhofer showed these past months that his lanky 6-foot-6 frame can hold up against the burly veterans in the professional league.
“Mahirap sa PBA, bugbugan [It’s hard in the PBA, it can get rough],” Maierhofer says. “I’m only 180 pounds and I’m playing against opponents who are at least 200 to 220 pounds. Bugbog talaga, pero yun ang sacrifice ko. Dinadaan ko na lang sa speed and determination [The games are very physical, but that’s something I have to take. I just make up for it with speed and determination].”
Not that Maierhofer isn’t used to rough play.
