‘Big brother’ Arwind Santos at home being NorthPort’s elder statesman
Arwind Santos’ NorthPort debut. PBA IMAGES
It didn’t take Arwind Santos too long to settle into his new home. About 36 minutes, if anyone was counting.
The former San Miguel Beer skipper, who was also once the Philippine Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), unloaded 14 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter of their clash with Alaska on Thursday at Ynares Center in Pasig City, turning in an impeccable performance before the very team that traded him away during the midseason break.
Santos said his old teammates and team officials watching him closely were hardly the reasons for his excellent play—the Beermen were scheduled to take the court in Thursday’s second game, eventually losing to NLEX—and added that he was motivated by something nobler. “I wanted to set a good example to my teammates. I want them to think that I may be 40 but I still perform,” he told a few reporters shortly after the Batang Pier’s 87-85 loss to the Aces.
“So in a way, that’s challenging [the young guys]. Even if I’m not talking that much, they’d be ashamed to see a 40-year-old guy putting in that kind of effort,” he said.
Coach Pido Jarencio immediately handed Santos the keys to the team during NorthPort’s buildup for the new conference.
“For sure, he’ll bring a lot to this team. He’s already shaping up as the big brother to many players. You know, once that happens, it just goes to show that you’re setting a good example,” he told the Inquirer in an interview right before the opening week.
“If you’re a winner, your attitude is different compared to most players,” he added of the 2013 MVP, the last to capture the plum before his former teammate, San Miguel cornerstone June Mar Fajardo, won it for a record six straight seasons.
Santos is quick to embrace Jarencio’s high praises that come with his role in the third stop of his storied career. “I’m grateful that coaches, especially coach Pido, really appreciate [my value]. Other people take high regard as pressure, and that’s understandable because that comes with expectations. But me, I am glad. I’ve worked hard for this after all,” he said.
Santos said he bears no grudge or resentment toward his old team, as he is already channeling his focus on the new task ahead of him.
“This is now the world I live in. And I have to take care of my image,” he said. “That image being wherever you put Arwind Santos, he knows how to get along with people,” he added.
