Allyn Bulanadi Continues to Impress in MPBL after Missing Gilas Stint

Not every player gets the chance to be called for the National Team. But for Allyn Bulanadi, a product of the San Sebastian Stags in the NCAA, he was among the Gilas cadets that were called upon to train for the first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers which was a confidence-booster and even though he didn't make the final line-up that wallopped Indonesia by 30 points last Sunday, Bulanadi's time to don the national colors is yet to come.  And with his upcoming PBA rookie season just around the corner, Bulanadi chose not to mope in one corner. He chose to do what he does best: play basketball.

A week after his non-inclusion to the line-up against Indonesia, Bulanadi was back in business in the MPBL who is currently having its playoffs. And while Bulanadi ended his final NCAA season without a championship, he just moved a step closer towards winning a chip in the MPBL. His 5 points in the final 87 seconds of Game 3 against the Iloilo Royals proved to be the key as Bulanadi helped Basilan Steel in getting a 70-63 victory over the Royals to book a seat in the South Division Semifinals where they will face Bacoor.  In 20 minutes of action off the bench, the 4th pick in the special draft of the 2019 PBA Rookie Draft had 11 points on 40% field goal shooting. He also finished with 5 rebounds, a steal, and a block. He may have shot 1 for 5 from the three-point line against the Royals but that lone make with 49 seconds left in the game put the game away for good. If he's this "clutch" in the MPBL, imagine what damage he can inflict once he starts playing for the Alaska Aces or even for the national team in the next windows of the Asia Cup qualifiers. After all, interim Coach Mark Dickel admitted that cutting Allyn Bulanadi from the line-up was among the hardest decisions he has to make. 

More than the win, Bulanadi said that he took his omission from the Gilas Pilipinas line-up as a motivation to further hone his skills. And he is only bound to improve as the MPBL playoffs go on. After all, this is a guy who once scored 44 points in an NCAA Final 4 qualifiers. And while he didn't win a championship in his last run, he still has a chance to do so in the MPBL. In the PBA. And who knows? He may even play for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. 

Photo is from Spin.ph