The running game is the product of patience, says red-hot RJ Jazul

SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – RJ Jazul finally found his long-lost shooting touch Thursday night.

Jazul shot nine 3-pointers en route to a career-high 33 points when Phoenix upset defending champion San Miguel, 110-103, to secure a place in the quarterfinals at the PBA Philippine Cup.

The 34-year-old sniper’s shooting spree beyond the arc emerged as a franchise record for the Fuel Masters, who also hit 22 treys, the best in the franchise.

The former PBA champion, who was averaging just 7.9 points before his career game, also accounted for 23 of Phoenix’s 35 points in the fourth quarter, keeping the tough Beermen at bay.

From what he could recall, Jazul said the last time he had the sensation of a fiery shooting when he debuted for the Fuel Masters against his former team Alaska Aces three years ago.

“I said, after so many years of stepping into the well,” he said jokingly.

Despite having a personal slump, the former Letran star continued to work on his shooting from 3-point range.

“Of course I practice and prepare intermittently. “You can’t say it will stop,” he said. “This is probably the moment that came to me.”

Jazul was quick to credit coach Topex Robinson and his teammates whose faith in him never wavered.

“The coach said, whether you can shoot or not, take the next shot whenever it’s open. Of course, when you feel it, it’s like a heat test. That is what makes us happy, we are giving each other confidence. ”

Robinson knows well that Jazul’s time would come, having known the latter since his heyday in Alaska from 2012 to 2017.

“He has been working on his shot. The thing about RJ and I, we’ve been together since Alaska. He knows that I trust him with all my heart, ”said the 45-year-old mentor.

“He fights a lot, but I said, ‘If you’re open, keep taking that shot. If you’re open, keep shooting and you’ll make it. ‘