The Final Score: June Mar Fajardo, the gentle Gilas game-changer

The dark-tinted windshield couldn’t hide the large outline of June Mar Fajardo. June Mar was early for a magazine photoshoot for SLAM Philippines scheduled at 9:00am, and was the first of five Gilas players to arrive. Since he was 45-minutes early, he decided to just chill in the car, on the parking lot of a photography studio along Wilson Street in San Juan.

June Mar sat in the passenger seat. Windows were closed. Engine was running. Pedestrians couldn’t see his face so they couldn’t tell if he was asleep, playing games on his tablet or if he was listening to music inside the car. Yet it was easy for anyone walking past the car to guess, based on the unusual amount of passenger space he occupied, that he was huge.

Perhaps it was a rookie thing. You know, be early for the photoshoot or else. I can imagine Gilas head coach Chot Reyes reminding June Mar about the call-time for the shoot. Perhaps it was a bunso thing. You know, the Gilas kuyas can arrive in the studio on-time but the Gilas bunso has to arrive almost an hour early, or else. I can just as easily imagine Gary David warning June Mar about the dire implications of being ten seconds late.

It hardly mattered that June Mar is a towering 6'11". It hardly mattered that he could dunk on everyone on the National Team, maybe except for Marcus Douthit. He arrived early for a team activity probably because he had to. Yet for the sake of his accelerated education in Gilas, as a sign of his eagerness to play a big role on the team, we want to believe that he wanted to.

“Malaki ang papel ni June Mar sa Gilas National Team kasi ang laki ng presence niya sa loob,” Ranidel de Ocampo, a veteran of many Gilas teams, explained. “Kasing laki niya si Marcus Douthit and pwede natin sila pagsabayin ni Marcus sa loob. At the same time, kung sakali na ma-foul-trouble si Marcus or mapagod si Marcus, if nasa loob ng game si June Mar, parang hindi nawala si Marcus.”

June Mar’s teammates arrived. He recognized their cars. Gary David, Gabe Norwood, Jayson Castro and Douthit walked towards the studio. He turned off the engine. He wanted to arrive earlier than the rest. Mission accomplished.

Fajardo carefully worked his way out of the front passenger door. He knew Japanese vehicles weren’t built for careless, heavy-handed giants. Baka mabali yung pinto. As soon as Gary, one of Fajardo’s “big brothers” on Gilas, spotted June Mar slowly emerging from the car, the veteran remarked, “Ang aga ah.” Fajardo, who wore sporty sunglasses to cover his sleepy eyes, responded with a miserly smirk.

“Si June Mar ang pinaka-bunso sa team,” Gary said. “Napakalaking tao. Napakalaking bagay sa team.”

Getting snappy one-liners from Gary was already normal for June Mar. June Mar didn’t expect to hear comments from Gabe, Jayson or Marcus. They’re good guys. Ang babait. But he always expected to hear it from Gary. Always. On anything. Gary, one of the designated Gilas jokesters, could comment on June Mar’s hairstyle, deep voice, large hands, large feet, shooting form, shooting touch, everything.

Gary can especially go on a verbal hot-streak when June Mar sweats in practice. Because no one sweats in practice like June Mar. No one.

During one Gilas practice session in the San Juan Arena, June Mar was looking for a third pair of shorts. Yes, a third pair.

June Mar’s first pair of shorts was on the floor, drenched in enough sweat to water the plants outside the arena. Ten minutes later, a resourceful member of the Gilas utility staff tied these shorts to an industrial fan beside the court in a valiant effort to dry them up. June Mar’s massive blue shorts looked like a Philippine flag majestically blowing in the wind.

June Mar stood in front of his bag, sweat frantically dripping from his second and last pair of shorts. He started to worry. There were still thirty minutes left in the practice session. He was down to his last pair of shorts. Nahihiya pa siya humiram kay Marcus. Hindi rin kakasya sa kanya yung shorts ng iba. Gary, seated a few feet away, totally aware of June Mar’s now-legendary sweaty situation blurted out, “Mag-diaper ka na lang kaya.”

There’s a proper term for June Mar’s situation. Siya ang “laruan” ng Gilas. It’s a term of endearment, really. Veterans give him a hard time not because they’re trying to bully him and do mean things to an almost seven footer. It’s really a rite of passage.

When Gary “photoshops” June Mar’s face on the Statue of Liberty and posts it on his Instagram account with the caption “The Statue of Kraken Liberty,” that’s brotherly affection. Part tough love, part good times. If you’ve ever been on a team, if you’ve spent life with brothers, you know it isn’t necessarily mean-spirited.

It’s a special way to validate June Mar’s inclusion on the squad. It’s a uniquely basketball way of telling a younger player that he belongs.

“June Mar revels in being the young guy being picked on and all that. He revels in that,” Reyes revealed. “He’s the new kid. He’s the youngest. The others are really treating him with brotherly love.”

June Mar changed into his Gilas home jersey for the photoshoot. He seemed uneasy at first. The photographer, Pat Dy, asked him to stand against a white backdrop. On cue, his teammates prodded him to show his winning smile. Even Coach Chot, who was also asked to join the magazine photo-shoot, wanted to see June Mar loosen up. The Gilas rookie tried to suppress his smile, just to show the vets and his coach that he could.

Two spotlights on each side and a reflector positioned near June Mar’s waist revealed his angelic face, the chestnut shade of his latest hairstyle and the slight mustache forming over his lips. He couldn’t hide his size the way he couldn’t hide his youth. How lucky. Most importantly, the studio set-up emphasized the word “PILIPINAS” on his chest, blue all-capital letters on a pristine white jersey, perfectly. Bagay na bagay.

“June Mar is the youngest on the team but he will play a huge role,” Reyes added. “It’s not a far-fetched possibility that if we play the really giant teams, that we may start him and Marcus together. So if you’ll watch our drills, scrimmages, half-court sets, we play them together. Kasi the way he has played, the way he is picking up the offense, the way he understands the nuances of our offense convinced me that he’s going to be a big part of our plan.”

Petron Blaze’s mammoth of a rookie has size, ability and eagerness. He is intimidating as he is breathtaking. You’ve seen how he makes free throws. It will make Shaquille O’Neal cry. You’ve seen how he glides on the court. 6-11 giants aren’t supposed to glide on the court. You’ve seen how he can go coast-to-coast, dribbling the basketball like a small forward, side-stepping like he’s Dondon Hontiveros and scoring on a finger-roll like he’s James Yap. I’ve seen it once and I’ll never forget it.

“Unang-una nakikita ko, mag-e-MVP ‘to sa PBA,” De Ocampo declared. “He’s the future.”

June Mar has it all it seems, except international experience. It’s being able to differentiate the style of play in the PBA compared to style of play in the FIBA-Asia Championships. It’s being able to understand what it means to play for a PBA team and what it means to play for the National Team. It’s being able to compete, not just against the best in the Philippines, but also against the biggest players in Asia.

“Kaya pupunta si June Mar sa Lithuania. Doon siya kukuha ng experience,” De Ocampo said excitedly. “Itong trip sa Lithuania, doon siya makakalaban ng magugulang na European. Based sa past experiences namin pag naglaro kami sa European countries, matututo talaga si June Mar sa Lithuania. Doon niya malalaman na kailangan pa niya talagang magtrabaho sa depensa, yung madadagdagan pa yung kaalaman niya sa paglalaro.”

After several shots by Dy, June Mar became more relaxed. Now accustomed to the heat of the lights, the sound of the camera clicking, the chatter inside the studio, he finally showed his smile. He has the charisma, I believe, to become an MVP that fans will religiously follow. He has the talent, we hope, to help Gilas win it all in August. His teammates were right. It was a winning smile.

It was Gary’s turn for his solo shots. Before Gary sat on a stool in front of the DSLR camera, he handed his iPhone to June Mar and instructed the rookie to take souvenir photos. June Mar obediently pointed the iPhone at Kuya Gary. Then, June Mar looked at his older teammates, showed a mischievous grin, giggled, and clicked non-stop, taking over one hundred photos of unsuspecting Gary. - AMD, GMA News