IN one fell swoop, San Juan has become a title favorite as well as crowd darling this 2026 MPBL season.
Not only did the Knights open their seventh year in the regional league with an offseason haul of collegiate standouts Gerry Abadiano, Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres, and Patrick Sleat, they also nabbed the UAAP’s most recent Finals MVP in Mike Phillips.
READ: This PBA champ now serves as Mike Phillips' mentor. Find out who
And while everyone is ecstatic to see the University of the Philippines' ‘Maroon 4’ duke it out alongside the La Salle big instead of against him for a change, very few are as excited as team owner Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who felt new life has just been breathed into the longtime powerhouse.
“Very excited ako dahil sa tagal namin dito sa MPBL, ngayon na lang ulit ako nakakaramdam na ito na siguro pinakamalakas na main team ng San Juan Knights,” he said.
Estrada had already claimed that San Juan is the MPBL's version of Barangay Ginebra, and he reminded everybody of this exact point following their 2-0 start to the ongoing season.
READ: San Juan holds off Cebu, gives Mike Phillips a winning MPBL debut
“Yung ‘Never Say Die’ spirit, nasa kanila eh. Kahit kita niyo naman yung previous games namin, we were trailing by seven points last two minutes, nananalo pa. So itong mga batang ‘to, they never give up,” he said.
Barangay San Juan
And with Phillips now in tow, the Knights can approximate their own Japeth Aguilar, with the two very much alike in terms of athleticism and motor.
For their team owner, though, 'Motor Mike' is much more than just the eight-time PBA champion.
As he put it, “Hindi nga lang si Japeth Aguilar, eh. Maraming talent ang hawak nitong si Mike. Pwedeng Japeth Aguilar, pwedeng Scottie Thompson.”
Indeed, Phillips channeled his inner 'Iskati' in his San Juan debut, flirting with a triple-double of nine points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists.
And with the Knights cornering the lion’s share of top talent from both the UAAP and the NCAA, Estrada wasn't going to mince words about his expectations.
“All of us, including the coaches and players, were very excited when Mike joined the team. Sabi ko nga, binigay ko na sa inyo lahat ng materiales fuertes, palagay ko, dapat makuha niyo na yung championship,” he said.
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