Gregorio sees superstar potential in Cardona
MANILA—Ryan Gregorio is not a betting man.
But the eloquent Meralco coach is willing to put some bucks on the table that Mac Cardona will finally blossom into a superstar during the 36th Philippine Basketball Association Season which starts Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“I have been mildly surprised at his attitude, his work ethic,” Gregorio told the Inquirer over the phone Sunday, when asked how his franchise player has been coming around. “He is just hungry for competition.
“I have heard a lot of nasty things about him before, that he has an attitude problem and the like,” added the multi-titled coach. “But I haven’t seen that in the times that he has been with us. All I can see is the competitive fire in him.
“People might have misunderstood that trait and concluded that he is a head case, but I guarantee you that he is not.”
The B-Boys, as what Meralco will be known in its return to big-time basketball, will debut in the opener against popular Barangay Ginebra. It is Ginebra’s crowd which Cardona used to torment while he was with Talk ‘N Text.
“It’s safe to say that he will finally realize his full potential and become the superstar he is meant to be with us,” Gregorio said. “To think that he was able to play that way while he was with Talk ‘N Text is tough considering the many great players surrounding him.”
Gregorio said that watching Cardona in practice has been a joy.
“Hook shot, set shot, running jumper, layup, turnaround, you name it, Mac has it in his arsenal.”
Meralco as a team may not be as formidable as Gregorio would want it to be at the moment, but the championship-winning mentor swears he has a player that he can build his team around and that the B-Boys will be a force if only for Cardona being in the squad.
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