Nostalgia hits Antonio Hester, former workforce Magnolia

Terrafirma’s Antonio Hester goes up in opposition to his former workforce Magnolia within the PBA Governors’ Cup.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.web

MANILA, Philippines—Antonio Hester noticed a lot of the identical however in fairly a unique scenario at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday within the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Terrafirma import took the hardwood with the Magnolia Hotshots, however this time he’s on the opposing aspect of the court docket.

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Hester was the Hotshots’ reinforcement in final yr’s version of the Governors’ Cup which defined why a lot nostalgia hit him when the Dyip and Magnolia collided in Group A motion.

READ: PBA: Antonio Hester torments former workforce in Magnolia win over Terrafirma

“These are my brothers, it’s all love. Sadly, I wasn’t capable of play [much]. That’s past me, I solely management what I can. It’s at all times good to see my brothers. It’s undoubtedly a blessing to share the court docket with them,” mentioned Hester after the Dyip’s 124-103 blowout loss by the hands of the Hotshots.

Hester performed sparingly for Terrafirma, scoring simply two factors and 5 rebounds in solely 12 minutes.

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Regardless of seeing only a few touches for Dyip, Hester was acknowledged by Magnolia heart James Laput, who mentioned he missed seeing the American massive man hit the ground.

“It’s at all times good to play with previous teammates and hopefully, future teammates however it’s at all times good to play with guys like Hester,” mentioned Laput, who completed with 4 factors and two rebounds within the win.

“He introduced us from a very unhealthy begin from the Govs. Cup to a playoff berth. Having the ability to match up in opposition to him on the opposite finish is a superb time to check our skills to see how we’ve grown,” added the younger massive.

READ: PBA: Antonio Hester ‘lit up with pleasure’ upon getting Magnolia call-up

Hester changed Eric McCree within the final Governors’ Cup, leading to higher outings for Magnolia.

In that convention, Hester posted norms of 34.0 factors and 15.5 rebounds for the surging Hotshots.

Nonetheless, their run within the 2023 version of the import-laden convention would come to a halt when Meralco eradicated them within the quarterfinal.

That magical run is likely one of the many the explanation why Laput mentioned that he “misses” taking part in along with his “brother” Hester.

“I miss him as my brother, I miss being with the ‘Hes-truck’ however on the aggressive and enterprise sides of issues, it’s simply a part of the sport so on sport day, there’s no emotions concerned.”