Stephen Holt wins PBA Rookie of the Year.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—The change of scenery is still pretty fresh for Ginebra guard Stephen Holt, who was shipped to Barangay Ginebra from Terrafirma in a blockbuster PBA trade last month.
Now donning the Gin Kings’ threads, Holt hopes to continue his tremendous play coming off a debut season where he was hailed Rookie of the Year.
“At the end of the day, all we can do is control what we can control. Whether new players come in via trades, the standard and culture for Ginebra is already set. We have to live up to that and be the best players we can be every single day,” said Holt in an interview with Inquirer Sports.
“I’m super excited. This is the next step in my PBA journey. I get to play under coach (Tim) Cone, a national team coach, a bunch of great guys and I’m super excited for this season to start and to go after it.”
READ: PBA: Ginebra acquires Stephen Holt, Standharding to Terrafirma
Holt in his first PBA season averaged 17.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
The 32-year-old guard edged Northport’s Cade Flores, Rain or Shine’s Adrian Nocum and Phoenix’s Ken Tuffin for the plum.
Holt is excited to strut his stuff for a new-look Ginebra side, which parted ways with veteran stars Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle and drafted playmaker RJ Abarrientos.
“I’m all about the right things. I’m all about winning, showing leadership, working hard and I think it’s fitting into this (Ginebra) culture really well.”
“My teammates see that I’m about the right things and hopefully we can compete for a championship in this conference.”