MANILA, Philippines — Globalport rookie Stanley Pringle looked every bit like the top overall pick that he is in his PBA debut on Tuesday.
Pringle, the Fil-American guard, put on a show and showcased every facet of his game — from reading and attacking the defense to creating his own shots and opportunities for his teammates.
He started the game and finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in almost 41 minutes of action.
But as good as he is in just his first official game with the Batang Pier, the 27-year-old Pringle focused on what he should’ve done better knowing that he still has a lot to improve.
“We needed to win,” Pringle said when a reporter asked about his performance just moments after Globalport collapsed in the end game and take a 96-101 loss to NLEX. “I had a couple of turnovers. I’m ready to look at the tape and see where I need to get better to help the team.”
Pringle teamed up with fellow guards Alex Cabagnot and Terrence Romeo as the three terrorized NLEX majority of the game.
The Batang Pier’s three-guard lineup had them leading by as much as 13 points and it appeared like a win, so hard to come by last season, would come right away.
Cabagnot, Pringle and Romeo combined for 70 of the team’s 96 points but they weren’t as effective in the second half as they were in the first two quarters — especially in the final frame, where their team was outscored, 21-7, in the last five minutes by NLEX.
Asi Taulava led the Road Warriors’ rally — scoring 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Taulava, the oldest player in the league at 41, had seen Pringle play before when they were both playing for different teams in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) and the 6-foot-9 center was reminded of just how skilled Pringle is.
“I played against Stanley in the ABL. I knew he was a very gifted kid and so talented,” Taulava marveled. “For three quarters, he tortured us.”
NLEX threw different defenders at Pringle from Pamboy Raymundo to Mac Cardona and Mark Borboran. But Raymundo, though, he had the quickness to at least keep in step, was too small and Cardona and Borboran were just too slow to stay in front of the shifty Pringle.
Pringle’s first basket was just a first of many highlights in his debut. He went between the legs before crossing over his defender and squeezing his way out of three players for the nifty layup.
“Everybody thinks he’s a young rookie but he’s 27 already. He’s played four years professionally overseas and his work ethic is a good thing,” said the veteran playmaker Cabagnot, who also said Pringle is the team’s biggest asset. “He’s great with the guys. He could affect the game in a lot of ways.”
But Pringle did have three turnovers and was limited to just five points in the second half and was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
“We just had to find a way to slow him down, keep him out of the paint,” said Taulava. “In the fourth quarter, when we buckled down, we stuck to our defense and rotation and help slow him down a little bit that got us the opportunity to win.”
Pringle downplayed his performance and doesn’t seem comfortable talking about himself when answered questions from the media. He’d rather talk about his team and teammates and when he was told how impressive he was, he expressed disappointment with his game.
“Yeah [I’m disappointed],” he said. “I have to get better.”
And an even better Pringle could spell more trouble for Globalport’s next opponent in Barako Bull on Sunday.