Altamirano thinks Parks should develop PG skills in NBA D-League

MANILA, Philippines – National University coach Eric Altamirano believes Fil-American guard Bobby Ray Parks, Jr.’s upcoming exposure with the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League is a “step towards the right direction” as the latter continues to chase his NBA dream.

“Siyempre, I’m very happy dahil alam naman natin yung dream ni Ray-ray mag-NBA,” Altamirano told Philstar.com when reached for comment on Monday.

“He’s headed towards the right direction because Ray-ray just needs to get the right exposure.”

With his upcoming NBA D-League stint, the soft-spoken NU coach said Parks will just have to work on his ball handling and play-making skills since he’s expected to man the point guard position.

“Ray just needs to get used to playing the point,” said Altamirano.

“Although a little lower lang naman ang D-League (compared to the NBA), pero ang maganda ngayon, puwede na siyang ma-call up (by an NBA team) especially since yung lalaruin niya farm team ng Dallas,” he added.

The left-handed Parks, a former two-time UAAP MVP, was selected 25th overall by the Legends, the Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate team during the NBA D-League’s Draft on Saturday.

Parks saw action for the Mavericks, earning the distinction of being the first Filipino homegrown talent to showcase his skills in the NBA Summer League.  

The son of legendary PBA import Bobby Parks, Sr. averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.5 minutes of play with the Mavericks. 

The youthful Parks’s best Summer League performance saw him bang 10 points, grab five rebounds, pull off four steals and one assist in 21 minutes during the Mavericks’ 104-86 victory over the NBA D-League Select squad.