Barroca finds himself under ex-tormentor

Mark Barroca

A lot can change in a year. Ten years? That’s a lifetime in basketball.

Just ask Mark Barroca.

It was 2015, and the then-Star Hotshots were clawing for survival in the Philippine Cup quarterfinals. Every possession counted, every inch covered. And then, the moment that’s haunted Barroca for years—he coughed up a crucial turnover, the ball swiped cleanly by LA Tenorio, sealing the game for Barangay Ginebra and sinking the Hotshots’ title hopes.

Fast forward a decade, and the man who once broke his heart is now calling the shots from the Magnolia bench.

“I never expected him to be my coach but you really never know how fate works,” Barroca told the Inquirer during the PBA Season 50 opener. “As fate would have it, we’re in the same team now, except he’s the coach and I’m the player.”

The past has long been buried, and if anything, Barroca and Tenorio’s new alliance couldn’t have had a more poetic start—an 80-73 win against none other than Ginebra.

“This is special for the both of us because we’re on the same side for a change. We’re not opponents this time around,” Barroca said, grinning.

Barroca’s numbers weren’t eye-popping—seven points, five assists, two rebounds and a steal on 3-of-9 shooting—but his presence was steady, his trust in the team unwavering.

More importantly, the win felt personal.

“We aren’t pressured by coach LA to win but we want to win for him. We respect him,” said Barroca. “We want to give him our best. Even if he says he isn’t pressuring us, us players are talking and we all want to win for him.” INQ