ANY team can now win in the PBA.
That’s the assessment of longtime Meralco player Cliff Hodge, who was one of the key players in the Bolts’ historic run to the PBA Philippine Cup title, one of the unlikeliest of results in recent history of the league.
“You look at our team, how we’re built, any team in the PBA can come back and win a championship. I’m sure this is good for the PBA,” Hodge said.
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How exactly was Meralco built?
Hodge is one of the longest-tenured players at Meralco, having been with the team for 12 years. A few more players have also been with the team for many years including Anjo Caram (11 years), and Finals MVP Chris Newsome (nine years) before winning the championship.
Over the years, the Bolts also made a few but critical moves on their way to the championship, beginning with the acquisition of Raymond Almazan (2019) and Allein Maliksi (2020) via trade, and the signing of Chris Banchero through free agency (2022).
Meralco also got better through the years through the draft by picking Bong Quinto (2018), Aaron Black (2019), and Brandon Bates (2023).
All players went on to become vital pieces in Meralco’s campaign in the 2023-24 season including the Philippine Cup Finals where they overcame San Miguel, a team loaded in talent mostly built through trades with June Mar Fajardo and seldom-used rookies Troy Mallillin and Kyt Jimenez as the only players in the roster that have played for the Beermen their entire career.
“Every year that goes by, and every opportunity that goes by, as I get older, it’s like, can we get it done?” said Hodge, 36. “And even this conference, when we were down to having to win all of our last games to get into the playoffs. It just shows how resilient our team is.”
Win one for Hodge, Newsome, Caram
Active consultant Nenad Vucinic noted the rarity nowadays of how Meralco won a championship with players it kept for several years. It made winning the title for guys such as Hodge, Newsome, and Caram more special.
“The way the PBA works with the draft system, the players are kind of stuck [stay with the team] for a few years in the franchise that they (were) drafted by and signed,” said Vucinic.
“Those guys, Cliff, Newsome, and Anjo Caram as well have been there from their first day of their professional careers. To be honest, my biggest motivation is for them, to finally get what they really deserve.
“I’m so happy for them, and I hope this is not the last one that they get. But at least, they know that they got one,” said Vucinic.
Of course, the Bolts’ coaching also played a major role in the championship run that included a semifinal victory over Barangay Ginebra, a team that gave them heartbreaks during their first four chances at a championship.
“We are grateful for what coach Norman [Black] did. He set the foundation also with what he did. Coach Nenad came in this year. We inherited a group. We had to build through the draft,” said Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo.
“Ginebra was a hard one. It took a lot because they’ve been through a lot of series with Ginebra. We had to preach about poise, about staying composed, doing certain things. We knew coming to the San Miguel series, we have belief in them. And we need to show that too. We had to do a lot of things because San Miguel is a deep team. Thankfully, we came out victorious in six games,” added Trillo.
Any team can win in the PBA
There were also the intangibles that also played out for Meralco, starting with Hodge’s willing to do the dirty work by going for rebounds and loose balls.
“At the end of the day, I just want to leave it all out there on the court, just trusting in my teammates, trust in God. I’ve been praying a lot. And God has given me everything that I ever wanted,” said Hodge, whose pregnant wife is set to give birth soon.
Thanks to Meralco’s formula for success, Hodge believes that any PBA team can be a competitive one, more so in the coming seasons where there will be young talent coming in.
“A lot of young guys coming up, and I know any team can win a championship now,” said Hodge.
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