‘Made for PBA’: Robert Bolick shows he’s perfect fit for NorthPort

NorthPort saw a lot of good things in Robert Bolick, whom it selected as the third overall pick in last month’s rookie draft.

And right away, Bolick made sure Batang Pier made the right choice.

The gutsy guard shone under the bright lights of the PBA with 26 points on an efficient 10-of-12 shooting from the field to lead the Batang Pier over the Blackwater Elite in his pro debut.

“He really complements the team,” NorthPort head coach Pido Jarencio after his squad’s 117-91 victory. “He’s made for the PBA. He’s a winner, coachable and he listens.”

Bolick has never been the type to hog the spotlight even in the times when he won three championships for the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA.

And he brought that unselfishness with him at NorthPort.

“I thank my teammates for my performance,” Bolick said in Filipino. “If not for them, I wouldn’t be able to have this kind of game and be this kind of player. They deserve the credit.”

The 23-year-old Bolick said watching his star teammate Stanley Pringle in practice everyday helped him a lot.

Bolick relishes the opportunity of learning from a player with a caliber and character of Pringle, who is coming off his best season yet where he wound up second in the MVP race behind five-time winner June Mar Fajardo.

But what surprised Bolick about Pringle the most is not the playmaker’s talent but his demeanor.

“It’s really a great feeling. He’s a scoring champion and an MVP type of player but he’s very humble and simple. He keeps telling me to ‘just play your game,’” said Bolick.

Bolick also have a lot to say about his other teammates and the team’s camaraderie.

“I’m just lucky to be with this team. All the players are nice. The seniors like to joke around and they’re the ones who even approach me,” he said.

“There’s no jealousy when it comes to playing time. It’s like a college team so I’m really lucky that I ended up playing here.”