There's no stopping the rise of Mark Nonoy's basketball career.
He was just in the province earning the nickname "the Russell Westbrook of Iloilo" one day, then made it to the big city and played for the UST Tiger Cubs the next. Not long after, he was elevated to the seniors team.
The kid was recruited out of Iloilo City to play one final year of high school with UST. He quickly rose to relevance in that one season and was immediately became a blue chip recruit. The narrative felt like it was all in alignment to a collegiate commitment to the España campus.
Nonoy did not waste a single second of his time with the Tiger Cubs. Aldin Ayo, head coach of the UST seniors team, had no plans on wasting any time either.
"Right after I played my last game in high school, the very next day I was already asked to practice with the college team," said Nonoy. "Not long after, Coach Aldin [Ayo] told me that he was going to put me on the PBA D-League roster. Even I got surprised."
The D-League is usually the bridge that prepares college players for their transition to the pros. Some college teams prevent their players from playing in the D-League until they've completed a year or two of college ball, while others don't allow their players until they've finished their playing years. Having someone from fresh out of high school was unheard of.
The 18-year-old Nonoy was the first of that kind.
"I was really excited for my first game in the PBA D-League. I knew it meant I had already made it to the next level," he said. "It wasn't high school basketball anymore, nor was it just college ball."
When he checked into his UST season opener against Batangas-EAC, Nonoy became the youngest player in D-League history.
In his first few minutes, it was easy to tell that he was overeager. Nonoy admitted he badly wanted to prove he belonged. He tried to use the two weapons that had brought him to Manila - speed and explosiveness. But, it only resulted to recklessness. He turned heads with his athleticism, but his coaches shook their heads when he made errors and took errant shots.
"In the first half, Coach Aldin just let me loose. But at halftime, he talked to me and told me I had to slow down and relax," Nonoy recalled. "True enough, it was what I had to do to help the team get the win."
In that game, Nonoy ended up with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. He was named the best player in his very first game in the PBA D-League.
Nonoy continues to prove that he belongs with the big boys. After five games, he has already become one of UST's reliables with averages of 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 points. Perhaps the only point of improvement is his 3.8 turnovers average.
He'll get there, though. He'll eventually learn the ropes.
Mark Nonoy can go from zero to a hundred real quick. Speed has always been his main weapon. It is what he uses to feast on opponents. Being asked to hit the brakes was not something he usually heard, but he trusted his mentor and he saw the game from a different light.
As he has learned from Ayo, the key to sustaining his rapid rise will be his ability to slow down.