NorthPort head coach Bonnie Tan was very much pleased with how his young backcourt of Evan Nelle and Fran Yu have been running the show especially with veteran playmaker Jio Jalalon still out with an injury.

While much of the spotlight has been on the Batang Pier stars Arvin Tolentino and Joshua Munzon, as well as import Kadeem Jack, Tan made sure to give props to his young guards who were vital for their 5-0 start to the conference.

Both Nelle and Yu had been sharing the playmaking shores in the conference and they have been repaying their coaches’ trust with solid performances

Nelle, for one, has been steady at the point the past two games, firing 13 points on top of nine rebounds and five assists in the 108-101 win against Converge just after contributing eight points, five rebounds and eight assists in the 100-95 win over TNT.

Yu, on the other hand, had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists in the Batang Pier’s 113-101 victory over Terrafirma before chipping in 10 assists, nine points and four steals in the 107-103 triumph over Magnolia.

“This 5-0, very crucial yung nilalaro ng point guards namin Fran Yu and si Nelle. Kay Evan based sa last game played very well. He’s not scoring that much pero yung assists department nafi-fill in naman ng dalawang guards,” Tan said of his playmakers.

The guard play has been opening up the game for NorthPort especially in anchoring the team’s run-and-gun style which has been a huge factor to its streak. The two has been finding guys like Munzon in transition or Tolentino and Jack during their halfcourt sets.

And without a definite timetable to Jalalon’s return, Tan is hopeful that his two guards continue to embrace the spotlight.

“Sabi ko nga sa both guards namin. This is your time this is your conference wala si kuya Jio Jalalon niyo so we will be relying sa dalawang guards na naiwan sa amin,” added the amiable mentor.