Beermen bust out braids: ‘Just a new look’

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

San Miguel players have gone on and sported interesting hairstyles this season.

From Arnold Van Opstal’s silver mane and Marcio Lassiter’s manbun to Arwind Santos’ unusually short hair, the Beermen have never shied away from embracing new hairstyles.

And on Sunday, Chris Ross and Alex Cabagnot joined backup guard Brian Heruela in sporting the cornrows for their game against Star.

“It goes in my eyes. That’s why,” explained Cabagnot of his new hairdo, seemingly hesitant to let the cat out of the bag.

But the other guards willingly shared more about their curious plan to sport identical hairstyles.

“We just talked about it and did it. We had it braided on Saturday. Just a new look,” said Heruela, who has maintained his braids since the first conference.

“Alex found a guy to braid our hair. He came into our practice and braided the other guys. It’s just fun. Me personally, I like to change my hair every conference,” Ross said. “I kind of get bored with my hair and just change it up. I’ll probably keep it braided for a while. If I get tired, I can always return to the curls.”

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

But it’s not just the three as Heruela shared that reserve forward David Semerad also had his hair braided before opting to change his look for the game against Star.

“I guess he took it off, that it was too tight,” said the Cebuano guard. “It was just a thing we talked about in practice. It was just for fun, new style, new look.”

Changing hairstyles is just one of the activities the Beermen do to loosen up and alleviate the pressure they get from the rigorous season. Ross also said the activities help the team lighten up the mood and keep the fun going.

“Even in practice, we try to enjoy ourselves. We had zumba class the other day. It’s just getting used with each other and just having fun with each other and trying to keep it fresh,” he said.

“We just go out and have fun. You play your best ball when you’re having fun. We’re out there trying to enjoy ourselves and try to play as hard as we can and enjoy the game. When you’re enjoying the game, things happen for you that don’t usually happen. We really are enjoying each other right now.”

Don’t be surprised to see the Beermen bust out a different look.

“I think you’ll see more going forward,” he said.