'My time will come:' James Forrester prefers to wait for chance at Ginebra than be traded

“James is an exciting player. Pag nasimulan niya `yung kumpiyansa niya, streak shooter 'yan. Tapos he can perform thunderous dunks and he can play really good defense, if only given the chance,” says Koy Banal, James Forrester's former coach at Arellano University. Jerome Ascano

JAMES Forrester admitted being frustrated in his first conference with Barangay Ginebra for not being able to live up to expectations as the surprise fourth-round pick overall in last year’s PBA Draft.

But that certainly doesn’t mean he wants to be traded to another team.

The high-flying former Arellano University guard bared he continues to work hard in the hope of earning his minutes under Ato Agustin - and a permanent spot in Ginebra’s rotation.

“I’ll just definitely wait (for my time) at Ginebra. Just because I think they (players) deserve it and as a competitor this is the challenge,” said the rookie.

“It could be nice to go somewhere and get the playing time. But right now, I just really want to stay at Ginebra and grind it out and earn my minutes and role in the rotation,” he said.

Forrester also believes Ginebra currently has the best shooting guards in the league in the established duo of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand.

“That is my goal. I want to get the minutes I truly deserve. The challenge here for me is to work hard and earn my way into the rotation,” added the Fil-American player.

And that means the freshman guard is willing to wait at Ginebra until the right time comes.

“However long it is. I am willing to wait whenever!” he exclaimed.

“Honestly, I experienced a little bit of frustrations last conference, but it faded away. I have nothing really to be frustrated about. I play basketball for a living, I just stay positive,” he said while trying to blame no one for his current state at Ginebra.

To listen to full interview, cllick here.

Asked what he thought was the reason Ginebra picked him fourth overall in the last rookie draft, Forrester thinks it his potential, which unfortunately, up until now remains untapped.

“(I think I was picked that high) because of the potential. They saw the talent and potential that a lot of scouts see and that I believe in myself as well,” he said.

“The reason maybe they are not playing me is I am inexperienced. And of course, kuya Mark and Jayjay are such great players. My time will come,” Forrester said.

And given the chance to showcase his potential, Forrester believes he can be a surprise package for the Kings, just like fellow rookie Justin Melton turned out to be for San Mig Coffee.

“I really do believe that once the confidence is there and I get to crack the rotation, I could be a very exciting player to watch,” he said.

Asked if he’ll be a more exciting player than Melton, Forrester curtly replied, “I believe so, yeah!”

The statement was quickly backed up by Koy Banal, his former coach at Arellano University.

“James is an exciting player. Pag nasimulan niya `yung kumpiyansa niya, streak shooter 'yan. Tapos he can perform thunderous dunks and he can play really good defense, if only given the chance,” said Banal.

“Ang tingin ko lang siguro, hindi siya ganun katagal naglaro ng competitive ball dito sa Pilipinas, kaya medyo nangangapa. Pero bigyan lang siya ng chance, I think he can deliver,” Banal, now an assistant coach at Barako Bull, added.
“Tingin ko hindi pa niya kabisado ang sistema (mga plays).”

Meanwhile, Spin.ph conducted a mini online survey asking fans about the possibility of Forrester being traded soon.

Most of the respondents, especially Ginebra fans, are against the idea of dealing away Forrester  in the form of a fictional trade with Globalport’s RR Garcia, a player said to be under the radar of Ginebra during the last Draft.

Here are some of responses from our readers:


Follow the writer on Twitter: @snowbadua