Exclusive: A closer look at Elasto Painter Jhonard Clarito
PBA Season 48 Most Improved Player Jhonard Clarito has shared his basketball journey in an exclusive interview with Dribble Report when the team visited one of the practices of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Style of Play
The first thing he shared with Dribble Report was the transition of his game play from his college days to commercial league to how he does it now.
“More on running and defense. Defense first. That’s my mindset since I played in college. My school and I were not famous,” Clarito, who was an alumnus of De Ocampo Memorial College, said in Filipino.
Then, he brought his talent to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) where he played with San Juan Knights under coach Randy Alcantara and even won a championship with them in 2019.
“In San Juan Knights, under coach Randy, the playing style is the same – transition and defense,” added Clarito.
Transition to Rain or Shine
After his MPBL career, Jhonard brought his wares to the Philippine Basketball Association where he was drafted by Rain or Shine in the second round of the 2022 PBA Draft as the 22nd pick overall.
Coach Chris Gavina was still the coach of the Elasto Painters when Clarito was drafted in that year but he didn’t play that much.
“When I was drafted here under Coach Chris Gavina, I didn’t play much because I think I was sick by then. Then, after a year Coach Yeng came in.”
Thriving in Coach Yeng’s system
Clarito said that when coach Guiao arrived, he was given the amount of playing time that he needed and became comfortable to CYG’s system as his game not just only blossomed but also improved.
“When coach (Yeng) arrived, I was given playing time. I played my game again and even improved it.”
Asked if they entered the semis or even the finals on what he can contribute more for the team, he said, “I think, I need to double my effort in defense and offense. I also need to create (plays) for my teammates and I need to play hard inside so that they can imitate my aggressiveness. That’s just what we need - go hard inside and you should know what to do in defense.”
Relationship with his coach, import, and teammates
Jhonard also shared with Dribble Report his close relationship with his teammates and his gratitude to his coach.
“With my teammates, we always joke around. There’s no problem with us. It’s important that we joke with one another but no one gets offended. Especially those Bisaya like me - Santi (Santillan), Kuya Beau (Belga) and F (Escandor). That’s what makes our team happy, when we ‘bully’ each other.”
Clarito was all praises also to their import Aaron Fuller who’s an integral part of their success in their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup campaign where they finished the elimination round as the top seed in Group B.
“Aaron, he is good. He just does his job. He doesn’t demand to score but if he needs to, he will. If rebounding is needed from him, he will rebound. That’s the beauty of having him (as in import). We also need to help him so we can continue our momentum,” he said of their prized import.
When asked about what he can say about Coach Yeng, Jhonard was deeply grateful that he has a mentor like Guiao.
“For me, Coach Yeng is a good coach. He is not just coaching us inside the court. He also mentored us in our lifestyle. He taught us how to save and what to do with those.”
Clarito also said that CYG is father-figure to them, “Coach is always telling us that we will not play basketball forever, so we have to save for our future and our family because the worth of our salary today, we cannot get if after retirement.”
Another attribute that Jhonard appreciates from his coach is that he trusts his players as long as they work hard.
“Coach Yeng is so kind. He will only scold inside the court if you made mistakes. What is important for him is that you play the right way and defend well. He will still use you if you make turnovers as long as you bounce back.”
Jhonard Clarito might have won the MIP award already but with the guidance of his coach and trust of his teammates, he is continuously improving. That being said, the best is yet to come to the pride of Davao del Sur.
Similar news
Jayson Castro scored 16 points and made an immediate impact in his first game of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.
Castro added three steals and two assists in his return to help TNT Tropang Giga get the 109-93 victory over the Blackwater Bossing on Thursday night, December 19, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The nine-time PBA champion missed TNT's first three games due to hamstring issues.
TNT's all-around import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson supported Castro with his 22 points, nine rebounds, five dimes, five deflections, and a block.
Four more Tropang Giga scored in double digits to get their second straight victory of the tourney. Rey Nambatac contributed 19, Calvin Oftana provided 18, RR Pogoy put up 12, and Glenn Khobuntin added 10.
Meanwhile, Blackwater high-scoring import George King, who averaged 39 points per game, was only limited to a conference-low 28 markers on 10-of-22.
The Bossing also don't have their prized rookie Sedrick Barefield due to injury.
With King being handcuffed and Barefield not in the lineup, RK Ilagan stepped up and poured out 19 points highlighted by 3-of-3 shooting from the arc.
The game was the last of the year for both teams.
TNT will be back in action on January 7 against Meralco Bolts, while Blackwater will come back on January 8 to face Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Sweet-shooting guard Jordan Heading and import Cheick Diallo poured out 21 points each to lead Converge in their victory over the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 116-105, on Thursday night, December 19, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The win marked the first time that the FiberXers won back-to-back games in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup and improved their record to 4-2.
Besides Heading and Diallo, four more Converge players scored in double digits. Schonny Winston and Bryan Santos contributed 16 apiece, while Alec Stockton and BJ Andrade added 14 and 11, respectively.
Their twin towers, ace center Justin Arana and top pick rookie Justine Baltazar both came out with six markers.
"We give credit to our guys," said FiberXers acting head coach Franco Atienza, who admitted that he was anxious when Phoenix made a good start that led to a 20-2 lead.
"We just stuck on, we didn't panic. We returned to how we want to run our system, how to run our offense, our defense," Atienza added.
Converge will have a chance to extend their win streak when they face Barangay Ginebra on Saturday, December 21, in Batangas City, and against Meralco Bolts on Christmas day at the Big Dome.
Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell led Phoenix with 30 points and 18 rebounds. He was supported by RJ Jazul's 20, Tyler Tio's 13, and Ricci Rivero's 11.
The Fuel Masters now have a 1-5 win-loss record after dropping their final game of the year.
The Scores:
CONVERGE 116 - Heading 21, Diallo 21, Winston 16, Santos 16, Stockton 14, Andrade 11, Arana 6, Baltazar 6, Racal 5, Delos Santos 0, Caralipio 0.
PHOENIX 105 - Smith 30, Jazul 20, Tio 13, Perkins 12, Rivero 11, Tuffin 8, Verano 4, Garcia 3, Soyud 2, Manganti 2, Salado 0, Alejandro 0, Muyang 0, Ular 0, Daves 0.
Quarter Scores: 15-30, 48-54, 87-80, 116-105.
San Miguel failed to earn its breakthrough win in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League (EASL) after bowing to Hong Kong Eastern, 62-71, at Southorn Stadium in Hong Kong, on Wednesday, December 18.
Kobey Lam spearheaded the pivotal comeback, registering 19 points, which gave the Hong Kong squad its first victory in the EASL game.
Notwithstanding the efforts of June Mar Fajardo and recently signed import Torren Jones for San Miguel, Eastern maintained their lead.
After a difficult turn-around shot by Fajardo, the Beermen were able to cut the margin to just two points at 58-60 in the fourth quarter.
However, just when it appeared that San Miguel had the advantage, Lam blazed through when he scored five of Eastern’s 9-0 run.
Lam also posted three rebounds and one assist for the Hong Kong-based squad, with Chris McLaughlin tallying a double-double of 16 markers and 17 boards, while Glenn Yang contributed 11 for the home team.
Fajardo and Jones led the charge for the Beermen with 19 points each, but their efforts were for naught as they failed to keep the team from suffering a third straight loss and dropping to the bottom of Group A.
The loss was the first in three games for Leo Austria since taking over as coach last week in place of Jorge Gallent.
San Miguel will aim to finally grab their first win in the EASL as they face the Hiroshima Dragonflies on January 8 at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Japan.
The Scores:
Hong Kong 71 – Lam 19, McLaughlin 16, Yang 11, Blankley 7, Xu 5, Leung 5, Chan 4, Zhu 4, Cheung 0, Pok 0, Guinchard 0.
San Miguel 62 – Fajardo 19, Jones 19, Perez 8, Miller 5, Trollano 3, Tautuaa 3, Cahilig 3, Rosales 2, Ross 0, Lassiter 0.
Quarter Scores: 28-14, 48-34, 60-48, 71-62.