Ara Galang herself confirms that a well-known anime character indeed inspired her new look for the PVL Reinforced Conference.
Chery Tiggo’s Ara Galang sported a bright new hairdo to start the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference. On her second conference with the Crossovers, the former La Salle star stepped out with a bright red-colored buzzcut that perfectly matched her team’s red jerseys.
Ara’s new look was perfectly complemented by her new jersey number 10. And for those wondering, it is indeed inspired by a beloved anime character that made his mark among the Filipino youth of the late 1990s.
Ara’s inspiration is none other than Hanamichi Sakuragi, the red-haired protagonist from basketball anime and manga “Slam Dunk”. The wing spiker herself confirmed this to reporters on Saturday.
According to Ara, the Sakuragi inspo was already on her mind since joining Chery Tiggo in January alongside Aby Maraño.
“Pineg ko din talaga kasi actually, start pa lang nung nagstart ako sa Chery, kasi sakto nagnumber 10 ako diba? Eh plano ko na rin mag-red hair pero diba di pa ako nagsemi-kalbo last conference? Sabi ko, hindi eto na muna,” she told reporters, referring to her red hairdo during the All-Filipino conference.
“Sabi ko sa next na lang [semi-kalbo]. So yun, inano ko na rin naman parang syempre Sakuragi ‘yun diba? Kilala rin naman ‘yun na ano natin at tsaka kabataan ko ‘yun. So nakaktuwa lang din na kita ko ‘yung positive din ‘yung tingin nila and ‘di naman siya insult so okay naman.”
But on top of watching Slam Dunk as a kid, Ara also resonates with Sakuragi. Like the Shohoku pride, Ara said she also started from nothing, and had to work her way up the ranks.
“Parang nagstart din siya ng wala, parang paangat. Hanggang sa nabuild niya yung confidence niya. Na-build, parang pinagkatiwalaan din siya ng mga kasama niya. So, parang naano ko lang din, ganun din naman ako as a player eh.”
Fittingly enough, Ara’s confirmation came after a Player of the Game performance against the NXLed Chameleons. In a straight-sets victory, the former Lady Spiker posted 11 points that was accompanied by 11 excellent receptions.
If anything, it’s a good sign for the Crossovers. With Eya Laure and Jen Nierva on Alas duties, everyone including Ara Galang will be taking on increased roles for most of the Reinforced Conference.
“Nagsastart naman ‘yun sa mindset eh. So kailangan panindigan ko ‘yung binigay sakin na responsibility and binigay na role. And nagsastart [din] naman ‘yun sa training eh so siyempre kung anong pinagtatrabahuhan ko, ‘yun din naman ‘yung malalabas ko…nagfofocus lang ako kung ano ‘yung kaya kong icontribute sa team,” she told reporters on Saturday.
Ring the Bell
At the same time, the Reinforced Conference will feature an Ara Galang and Khat Bell team-up, two players who used to face off in the Pilipinas Superliga. If Khat was already an “amazing opponent”, then what more as a teammate, right?
“Syempre, ngayon na kakampi pa, mas okay diba? I’m super happy na syempre, kasama ko na siya sa court na nagtutulungan kami ngayon,” she said.
The feeling’s mutual for Khat, who said it was “less stressful” having Ara as her teammate this time around. On top of that, she also lauded Ara’s growth, having watched her for the past two years or so.
“She’s attacking a lot higher and a lot more than the last few years, and the strength is insane. I can tell she’s been in the gym working hard and I’m just so glad to have her as a teammate and not as an opponent anymore,” said Khat, who scored another game-high 21 points on Saturday.
Banner Image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League. Special thanks to Noel Zarate.
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