RJ Abarrientos dazzles in 2022 KBL Cup victory

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Filipino basketball guard RJ Abarrientos displayed his full offensive arsenal and helped the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus exact revenge against Daegu KOGAS, 92-83, during the 2022 Korean Basketball League (KBL) Cup held at the Tongyeong Gymnasium.

After an 87-80 loss during their first meeting, Abarrientos and the rest of the Ulsan squad finally found their shooting rhythm and made it rain from the three-point area.

The crafty Abarrientos led his KBL squad with 15 big points, six assists, and three steals and registered 32 minutes of playing time.

Abarrientos continued his solid outing in the ongoing KLB pre-season tournament after finishing with 17 points and 10 assists in his first game against Daegu.

The former Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws rookie sensation sank four three-pointers during the win including two crucial treys to stop the Daegu offensive run.

Abarrientos also made the KBL highlight central after dishing two flashy dimes to his trailing teammates during two separate fast break transition plays that put the Tongyeong Gymnasium basketball fans to their feet.

Meanwhile, another Filipino import playing in the KBL, SJ Belangel, is playing for the Daegu team and only had four points, two rebounds, and two assists.

During their win against Abarrientos and Ulsan, the former Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagle contributed six points and two rebounds.

Both Abarrientos and Belangel were teammates during coach Tab Baldwin’s time as the Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team head coach.