STRANGE as it was to see Sam Deguara donning the colors of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas and facing off against Mono Vampire, the Maltese giant insists it's no big deal.
"There's no motivation," he said after leading the Philippine side to a 96-73 blowout of the Thai crew on Tuesday.
Deguara delivered 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks as he anchored the fourth quarter pullaway for the home team against his old squad.
The 7-foot-6 Deguara was memorably instrumental in Mono's finals run two seasons back when he, together with Jason Brickman, Paul Zamar, and Mike Singletary, brought the Thailand club to the championship round, only to settle for bridesmaid finish against Alab.
Now, he's on the other side.
What made Deguara's presence in this game more valuable for the Filipinos is his familiarity with Mono, as he noted: "It's more of an experience. We know how they play and we know what they are their weaknesses and strengths, so we attacked on their weaknesses and played our game."
This, however, isn't the first time he played against Mono.
Deguara signed with Hong Kong Eastern last Asean Basketball League season and met his old team only once, before he was eventually let go midway through the year.
His focus, though, is on his current team as Deguara aims to help Alab compete for the championship anew this season.
"I think we still can be more consistent, make more stops, and play together as a team," he said, with his arrival ushering in a three-game win streak for Alab to ascend to the top of the standings at 3-1.
"We'll keep moving forward and get better for the next games. We're more motivated. We're trying to be better players outside the court and help the team play together."
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