Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
ANTIPOLO CITY—Mark Barroca was just a humble rookie when he won his first PBA title back in the 2012 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Standing third in the pecking order behind Roger Yap and Jonas Villanueva, the former national team star had no other choice but to learn from the veterans.
But six years since then, Barroca, now one of the leaders of that same team, has come full circle, steering Magnolia to the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
“I think the difference was I was just a rookie during my first championship,” said Barroca in Filipino after the Hotshots’ 102-86 Game 6 win over Alaska Wednesday at Ynares Center here.
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“Now I’m the senior and the one leading my younger teammates and the chemistry’s different this time around.”
Barroca, 32, also won his second Finals MVP making him the third player in the Magnolia franchise to win more than one joining legends James Yap, who has four, and Marc Pingris, who also has two.
And the wily point guard did this while also providing guidance to young star Jio Jalalon, who is six years his junior.
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“Coach [Chito Victolero] always tells me to always talk to Jio because I’m one of the seniors of the team,” said Barroca who had 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists against the Aces.
“That role is crucial in our dynamic and that’s how James treated me when I was a rookie, the older guys were telling me what to do and I accepted the roles they gave me.”
Magnolia’s title also broke its four-year championship drought that dates back to when it completed the Grand Slam for the 2013-14 season.
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And the victory lit a fire in Barroca’s heart that he thought got extinguished during the years when they couldn’t win a trophy.
“Now that we won, the heart and the desire seems to have returned,” said Barroca who was the Finals MVP in the 2014 Philippine Cup. “We have to maintain this going into the next conference and we’ll go to the All-Filipino again where we lost in the Finals [against San Miguel].”