A season of surprises: NorthPort vows to pull off stunners

NorthPort coach Pido Jarencio. INQUIRER PHOTO/TRISTAN TAMAYO

NorthPort made great strides in the last PBA season, and the Batang Pier, with enigmatic coach Pido Jarencio leading them, are confident of making heads turn come March.

“We will surprise them,” Jarencio told the Inquirer over the phone on Tuesday, a day after acquiring LA Revilla and Rey Guevarra from Phoenix Pulse in a trade where he gave up veteran Sol Mercado and lost one of the backbones of his defensive unit.

He did not even mind that the arrival of the 5-foot-8 Revilla, the former La Salle ace in the UAAP who has struggled to carve his name in the pro ranks, shrunk his team’s average ceiling.

“I have a very tall team—big wings, tall and hefty big men,” Jarencio said. “I don’t see LA as a point guard who is small, I see him as a point guard with all the intelligence to lead this team together with Nico [Elorde].

”The Batang Pier reached the Final Four of the recent Governors’ Cup before bowing in five games to eventual champion Barangay Ginebra.

“It’s all part of the learning process,” Jarencio said. “The players experienced that for the first time and it’s a good thing. The whole team will be wiser when we get that next chance.”

Jarencio is excited over the return of the 6-foot-7 Kelly Nabong from an earlier trade with San Miguel Beer. It was at NorthPort under Jarencio where the temperamental Nabong enjoyed his finest stints in the league. Jarencio also expects Kevin Ferrer and last season’s

acquisition Christian Standhardinger to fully blossom in the coming season.

Robert Bolick, who would have given CJ Perez of Columbian a run for the rookie of the year last season, is expected back in a few months from an ACL injury, giving NorthPort more reason for optimism.

“So I don’t think that size will be an issue for us even with small point guards,” Jarencio said. “Makakapuwing kami in the coming season.”

Meanwhile, Mark Caguioa, Barangay Ginebra’s longtime guard, also had a little surprise of his own as he held off retirement plans.

Caguioa made his announcement on Monday night during the Gin Kings’ celebration of their 12th PBA title at MetroTent in Pasig.

“Coach Al pulled me aside and told me he’s going to give me one more year,” he told the fans.

“My body is not hurting. I feel like I can still go for 10 years or something like that,” Caguioa, now 40, told reporters.

Caguioa still yearns to celebrate one more Philippine Cup title as he approaches the end of his career.

The former league MVP last won an all-Filipino crown in 2007. It was during that tournament when he tabbed his first best player of the conference award.

“I think it would be a lot more special if we win this all-Filipino,” he said. “That would be the cherry on top.”

In the same celebration, Ginebra coach Tim Cone praised import Justin Brownlee for his role in the Gin Kings’ recent run of success.

“The thing about Justin that impressed me is that while he’s been here, his game has improved so tremendously,” Cone said. “Reminds me a lot actually of Bobby Parks.”

Cone said that Parks, whose name is perpetually engraved on the best import award, used to give him problems during their battles in the past: “No matter what you did, Bobby figures out a way through it, and that’s exactly what Justin does.” —With a report from Denison Rey A. Dalupang INQ