Coach: Pido Jarencio
Key Players: Terrence Romeo, Stanley Pringle, Sean Anthony
Key Additions: Kelly Nabong, Lervin Flores, Nico Elorde, Yousef Taha
Key Losses: Mike Cortez, Mac Baracael
Will third time be the charm for Pido Jarencio?
But the charismatic mentor isn’t leaving anything to luck in his third time to coach GlobalPort, saying that the team’s progress will largely depend on how hard it works.
“All we have to do is work. We’ll do everything we can to win and be competitive,” he said.
With the dynamic duo of Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle leading the way, the Batang Pier are looking to go beyond expectations anew, the same way they did under Jarencio two seasons ago when they reached their first ever franchise semifinals appearance.
And the outspoken mentor, though, has reasons to be optimistic with a has good mix of hungry veterans led by Sean Anthony, together with new acquisitions Nico Elorde, Kelly Nabong, and Lervin Flores in the roster.
“I feel those players will complement with Terrence and Stanley. The old players we got are still competitive, while the young blood we got are fighters,” he said.
GlobalPort failed to moved past the quarterfinals last season, and Jarencio could see the hunger in his players’ eyes.
With the presence of two of the most potent guards in the league, the Batang Pier could still be considered as a dark horse.
“There’s still room for improvement for us on both defense at offense. At the same time, we need to work on
our chemistry,” said Jarencio. “On their own, the players can compete, but what we need here is total team effort.”