The 45th PBA Season just started last March 8. Prior to the kick-off of the most coveted Philippine Cup 2020, the second longest-running professional basketball league in the world organized a one-day media fest together with the players, coaches, and managers of the 12 participating teams.
For TNT Katropa players, their goal this coming season is clear—a better finish for the team, in their bid to end a five-year title drought.
“We’re hoping for a better finish this season, because as you know, we didn’t do too well in the last All-Filipino conference. This time we want a good elimination finish so we can have a good advantage in the playoffs,” says power forward Troy Rosario.
Rosario joined TNT in 2015 after his stint with the NU Bulldogs, and has since gained traction in the league after participating in the PBA All-Star Games, Southeast Asian Games, and most recently, in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers as part of the Gilas Pilipinas team.
Playing for Gilas, with its recent game against Indonesia in the Qualifiers, has prepared them for the upcoming season, says TNT shooting guard RR Pogoy, who’s also part of the Philippine line up.
“The training was intense because we had to train twice a day for three weeks prior to the game [against Indonesia]. But the training really paid off because we won,” shares Pogoy.
Meanwhile, TNT point guard Jayson Castro shares the sentiments of Rosario. “We want to win the championship this year, and for us to do that, we need to be physically fit. In the last conference, many of us were injured. But coming from a long break, everyone was able to recover well so we’re all excited to play. We also have a lot of young-bloods coming in, and I’m proud of how much they’ve grown as players and as our teammates.”
Off the court and online
While the players are primed and ready for the coming season, they still make sure to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. For Castro, doing meditations and yoga has immensely helped him coming from an injury in the last season.
“I’m doing meditation and yoga now, which has really helped me a lot physically and mentally. It helped me relax my mind and body, and I was able to loosen a lot of tight muscles. The whole team is doing yoga, actually,” Castro explains.
Pogoy and Rosario, meanwhile, have their own personal workouts outside of the regular team practice as part of their daily schedule.
“Ever since I was in college, I have my own personal workout that’s separate from team practice. Even during my rest days, I make sure to stick to my program. I also always try to eat well, because I need to consume 4,200 calories a day just to keep my current weight,” says Rosario.
On rest days, the players return to their roles as family men and spend as much time with their wives and kids as they can. For Rosario, he watches cartoons and shows on YouTube with his kids, and plays online games in his free time.
“Sometimes I play Mobile Legends when my kids are asleep. My favorite characters are Zilong and Alucard. Other times I would watch Netflix with my wife. She’s really into k-dramas right now,” Rosario laughs.
When asked about music preferences, the TNT players have varying tastes. Rosario listens to local alternative bands like Ben&Ben on Spotify, Pogoy is very much into Christian songs, and Castro is well, more into getting his news fix from streaming apps..
“I’m really more into meditation, but I do watch shows on YouTube and only use Spotify when driving. I’m more active on Instagram than Facebook. I’m not really into online games, I’d rather play actual sports!” Castro ends.
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