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    Chris Ross on his PBA future: ‘Hopefully still with San Miguel’

    Will Ross be the next member of SMB 'Death Five' to go?
    Mar 21, 2022
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    Chris Ross hopes to remain a Beerman.

    AS San Miguel’s season came to an abrupt close, veteran guard Chris Ross ponders on what the future holds for him.

    And his foremost wish – to remain as a Beerman.

    “Hopefully still with San Miguel,” Ross said. “I know I still have a lot left to do. Hopefully I’m still with San Miguel to show I can still play.”

    Stunning exit

    Ross mulled over what lies ahead after the Beermen bowed out early in the Governors Cup, sent home by Tony Bishop and the Meralco Bolts via a 100-85 blowout in their first meeting in the quarterfinals.

    The No. 5 seeded Beermen were seeking to extend their season with a win over the fourth-seeded Bolts that never came their way.

    The loss was obviously a big letwdown especially in light of the major revamp adopted by the league’s most accomplished team this season.

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      The Beermen traded for the services of CJ Perez prior to the start of the Philippine Cup, and then acquired Vic Manuel, Simon Enciso, Rodney Brondial, and Jericho Cruz in the season-ending meet.

      But in the two conferences this season, San Miguel never made it to the finals.

      The Beermen advanced to the semifinals of the all-Filipino conference, but lost in the decisive Game 7 to eventual champion TNT Tropang Giga.

      It didn’t get any better in the final tournament of the season where the franchise even brought in talented imports such as Brandon Brown, Orlando Johnson, and the highly-touted Shabazz Muhammad.

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        Ross did agree with coach Leo Austria though, that too many changes in the team roster in so short a time did affect the Beermen’s chemistry a lot.

        Talent alone can't bring in the Ws.

        “We had so much change and we just didn’t have a lot of time to gel,” said the 37-year-old two-time Defensive Player of the Year, echoing the line of Austria.

        One encouraging sign for Ross is the Beermen largely staying healthy during the past season.

        “Good thing is, we came out of this season injury-free. We have another chance to play again next time,” he said.

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        Ross also came on board for San Miguel late following the death of his father in the US.

        He didn’t play for the team until midway into the eliminations, and just averaged 2.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, but had 5.0 assists in the six games he played prior to the playoffs.

        Hopefully, the performance won’t get in the way on him staying with the franchise after seeing key players Alex Cabagnot and former MVP Arwind Santos let go one after the other during the course of the season.

        The departure of Santos and Cabagnot left Ross, Marcio Lassiter, and six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo as the only remaining members of San Miguel's so-called 'Death Five' responsible for the franchise winning five straight Philippine Cup championships from 2015 to 2019.

        While he hopes to stay with San Miguel, Ross is also open to the possibility of him being dealt to other teams, stressing such is ‘the nature of the business.’

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        “But we’ll see. Only time can tell,” Ross said.

        With the Beermen’s season over and after all the personal struggles he went through the past months, all Ross could think right now is rest and reflect.

        “I just want to rest right now. Lay down, chill a little bit,” he said. “We’ll see. Maybe go to the beach.”

        Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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