Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, the newest TNT Tropang Giga player, in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser wasn’t supposed to play long in his debut for TNT in the PBA Philippine Cup, according to returning coach Chot Reyes.
But when the need arose, the center finished with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds to make most of his first game for Tropang Giga.
“That’s the reason why we made great strides to get him because that’s really what we lacked. We lacked that steady big man. If our other bigs aren’t playing well, at least we have an extra guy with Brandon. [I] can’t complain. We’re very happy,” said Reyes after their 108-107 win over Rain or Shine on Wednesday.
SCHEDULE: 2024 PBA Philippine Cup
“I didn’t expect him to play these many minutes but the game situation dictated that he stay on the floor so thankfully he delivered.”
Ganuelas-Rosser was just recently acquired by TNT from NLEX, literally days before the opening of the Philippine Cup.
In a three-team trade, the former Gilas Pilipinas player was shipped to Tropang Giga in exchange for Justin Chua and Jaydee Tungcab, who both went to Blackwater.
And while TNT still has bigs in Kelly Williams and Henry Galinato, taking Ganuelas-Rosser was a necessity for Reyes.
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“The reason why you want to have depth in your team is for situations where your regular plans are not working so then you know you can still pick up other players. Like I said, I had no plans to use Brandon for extended minutes.”
Ganuelas-Rosser barely played for the Road Warriors last conference due to injuries. He posted just 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in five games in a campaign that saw NLEX miss out on a quarterfinal spot.