Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE — With GlobalPort playing its first game of the season on Christmas Day, coach Pido Jarencio said his players should learn on helping the lead guards rather than relying solely on Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo.
“I want the others to learn that it’s not just Stanley or Terrence, but rather, they have to do their share. They have to help each other,” Jarencio said in Filipino on the heels of the Batang Pier’s 104-115 defeat to NLEX.
GlobalPort’s reliance on its star guards surfaced in the tiff as Pringle took much of the load on Monday.
The 2015 Rookie of the Year poured in 33 points and had 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals, a performance Jarencio expects from his lead guard, especially with Romeo still recovering from his knee injury.
“Actually, it’s natural for Stanley especially when he’s in shape. He’s really a scorer, especially when Terrence is there because they’re our 1-2 punch,” he said.
Aside from Pringle, only Sean Anthony (19 points) and Jonathan Grey (13 points) were able to notch double-digits in scoring, a big no-no especially with the Road Warriors playing collectively.
Jarencio didn’t deny that he was dismayed with how bad GlobalPort’s defense was in the game.
“This team is built to be 70 percent defense. But in this game, it was the opposite, we were 70 percent offense, 30 percent defense.”
Jarencio, though, feels that the Batang Pier were just a few breaks away from nabbing the victory, but committed costly miscues in the end game.
“We had bad breaks, two consecutive turnovers, plus Larry (Fonacier) made a big three-point shot when we went zone. That was when they were able to pullaway. We’re not pointing fingers at anybody, but that’s what they call the breaks of the game,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Jarencio is charging the loss to experience as he expects his wards to come out stronger in their next game against Ginebra on January 7.
“It’s the first game of the season. I think it’s just the opening jitters. Maybe, we need to do a lot of adjustments, a lot of things to fix, but as long as the players are there helping each other and sticking together, it’s ok with me. I’m still positive,” he said.