MANILA—Anything can be viewed from opposite points of view. Take Barako Bull for instance. After a couple of illustrious seasons where champagne-toasting a championship trophy was always a possibility, the franchise has created for itself an unflattering tag.
It has become—almost too willingly—a dumpsite of commonsense-mocking trades. People view the team, still reeking with the remains of those one-sided deals, as the place other PBA squads can pick up easy victories from.
But stand in the shoes of Mark Andaya. Or Hans Thiele. Or coach Junel Baculi even.
The view changes drastically.
From where those three are looking, reality may not mimic the prestige of Asia’s oldest professional basketball league. But is sure holds a lot of positives.
“Nobody wanted to play for us,” said Baculi.
For them, Barako Bull is the birthplace of opportunity and second chances.
Thiele, for one, is trying to make the most of the last door that remained open to his PBA dream. So much so that he has upstaged higher profile rookies, averaging a double-double for the Energy Boosters.
“Right now, I’m not thinking about my stats, all I’m thinking about is that coach Junel gave me a chance and I’m not going to waste that,” said Thiele.
But it’s hard to ignore his numbers.
In Barako Bull’s opening game loss to Fiesta Conference champion Alaska, 88-64, Thiele shot 12 points on six-of-eight shooting and collected seven boards, one assist, a steal and a block—all in 27 minutes of playing time.
Thiele followed that up with eight points on four-of-seven shooting to go along with 13 boards and four dimes as he played a team-high 31 minutes during Barako Bull’s upset win over newcomer Meralco, 74-68, Sunday night.
That puts him at 10 points and 10 boards per game.
“I saw his potential, I saw his high-leaping ability and he’s very athletic,” marveled Baculi on Thiele, a former UE Red Warrior stalwart. “I gambled on him.”
And so far, Thiele has made sure his coach’s risk is paying off.
During the PBA Draft night, Thiele nursed hopes of being called. But in between surprise top pick Nonoy Baclao and eventual last pick Marvin Hayes, Thiele never got to get up from his seat.
“I know I didn’t do well during the rookie camp because I was always injured but still I felt bad that didn’t get picked,” said Thiele in Filipino.
“Not getting picked and having the opportunity right now is my motivation, I’m going to show them that I really belong in this league (PBA),” he added.
Andaya, on the other hand, had already been in the PBA before. But he was unable to put a lock on his roster slot and bounced around teams—and leagues—for quite some time.
After he was drafted by Talk N Text in 2006, he was then shipped to several teams like Air 21, Red Bull and Rain or Shine, before finally slipping out of the pro scene to play for the Misamis Oriental Meteors in the PBL-Liga last conference.
Andaya was supposed to don a Philippine Patriots jersey in the Asean Basketball League, but when he got a call from the Barako Bull management a few days before their opening game—he knew that it was too good to pass up.
“I have other options. But this is the PBA, it’s my dream to be here. It’s a different level of basketball,” said Andaya, who signed a month-long contract by Barako Bull, and is leaving no stone unturned to merit an extension.
“I will do everything to remain here in the PBA,” said Andaya.
His new lease on life coincides with the league’s new rule on officiating. The “no harm, no foul” rule has made big men willing to throw their bodies in between beefy frontliners and the basket a precious commodity.
And Andaya gives the Energy Boosters that type of a player.
“He is like our garbage guy,” said Baculi. “He is willing to defend and he’s willing to get hit.”
The former Letran Knight plucked a total of 11 rebounds, nine blocks and four points in the first two games of the Energy Boosters, including a resounding swat in the decisive fourth quarter rally in that win against Meralco.
“I want to help the team especially when it comes to defense. I want to be able to average around four rebounds and four blocks per game,” said Andaya.
“I won’t have to concentrate on the offense. I have always been a team player,” he added.
Like Thiele, Andaya knows that chances like these one don’t come along regularly, especially in the PBA. The league’s season tagline says it all: Only the best play here.
But in a Barako Bull team struggling for roster depth and a better public perception, the former Letran Knight has found the opening he needs.
“One word is not enough to explain how it feels to be back,” said Andaya.
And like Thiele, he’s not about to blow that chance.
“We all have something to prove here,” Andaya finished. Photo by Mark Giongco
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