MANILA, Philippines—TNT swingman Roger Pogoy hardly missed when he lit up Phoenix with 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from long range Wednesday night in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Pogoy, though, wished he had that same sweet touch for Gilas Pilipinas during the Fiba World Cup in China.
“Sana nung World Cup ganun ‘no?” he told reporters after the KaTropa rained down on the Fuel Masters with 18 triples for a 123-118 win to remain undefeated at 3-0.
(I wish I had this same performance in the World Cup.)
Nearly a month removed from the country’s winless World Cup campaign, Pogoy couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve been knowing how much of a difference it would’ve made had he—at the very least—made the shots in China that he normally makes in the PBA.
The 27-year-old Pogoy was one of the few snipers the Philippine team counted on to make outside shots and spread the floor in the World Cup but he ended up firing blanks while mostly facing much bigger defenders.
“Nakaka-disappoint kasi nung World Cup sobrang pangit ng shooting ko tapos dito maganda,” he said.
(It’s just disappointing because I’m shooting well here but during the World Cup it was horrible.)
“First time din kasi eh. Siguro kapag mabigyan pa ng second chance sana makabawi.”
(It’s my first time playing in the World Cup so maybe if I get another chance I would be able to do better.)
Pogoy won’t have his second crack at the World Cup until 2023 but he can continue to fire from all cylinders in the PBA in the meantime.
There’s also the upcoming Southeast Asian Games later in the year where Pogoy is part of the 15-man national training pool.
“Sana ma-lineup sa SEA Games para makatulong naman.”
(I hope I make the lineup so I could help the team.)