NOW in his 14th season in the PBA, Mark Barroca seems to show no signs of slowing down for Magnolia despite a seemingly ‘controlled’ role in his first year under coach LA Tenorio.
Now coming off the bench and playing alongside a brilliant up-and-coming guard in Jerom Lastimosa, Barroca remains ever so steady for the Hotshots with Tenorio still counting on to steady the ship when things get shaky.
READ: Magnolia repels pesky Terrafirma to get back on the winning track
That couldn’t have been evident as Barroca starred in the Hotshots’ 104-93 win over the gritty Terrafirma on Saturday, with the veteran guard from Zamboanga dropping 11 of his 17 points in the payoff period to finally repel the tough-fighting Dyip.
While Tenorio admits that he is controlling Barroca’s minutes for the long haul, he knows his job as a rookie coach is a whole lot easier having someone like Barroca in his squad.
“Anytime na bunutin ko siya it doesn’t matter if he plays five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes I know he will deliver. But I want the young players of course not to rely on him so much. Hindi naman forever nandito si MB pero sana andyan,” Tenorio said.
“That’s why kanina, kinausap ko siya. Sakto lang, we managed his minutes but in the end it’s still him. Ayun, sana makita ng mga players na it doesn’t matter how long you play.”
But while Barroca’s been scoring a lot in Magnolia’s first four games, Tenorio knows that the value of his veteran goes beyond that.
Having to repel several comebacks from their different opponents in all of their wins so far, it’s Barroca’s calming presence on the court that makes him so invaluable for this squad.
“Hindi lang yung scoring niya, it’s his presence e. Being a guard, I think the most important thing is yung presence mo sa loob ng court,” Tenorio said.
“How you handle the team, how you handle pressure those kind of games and how we need to execute and I think ayun yung example na gusto ko i-set niya for the younger players.”
And Barroca knows that.
Having played against Tenorio for all of his career, there’s no one in this squad who knows the former Ginebra and Gilas Pilipinas guard better than Barroca and he’s using that to further deliver what the rookie coach wants to happen with this team.
“Sabi nga ni coach ako yung extension niya as a veteran dito. So kung ano yung sinasabi ni coach shine-share ko lang sa mga bata. Kasi nga, all throughout my career magkalaban kami ni coach so alam ko kung gaano kagaling si coach LA,” Barroca said.
“Hinihimay ko rin yung bawat ginagawa namin kasi bago palang yung sistema namin e, hindi pa namin napeperfect ‘to.”
From one 'Iron Man' to another
Aside from being career-long competitors and being two of the most brilliant guards in PBA history, the player-coach tandem of Barroca and Tenorio have one more knot tying them together.
Their durability owing to their discipline both on and off the court.
Tenorio remains the PBA’s ultimate 'Iron Man', with his 744 consecutive games played still the barometer in the league. Had it not been for a battle with cancer which he handily beat, that streak would’ve gone on longer.
The closest pursuer to that record? His ever trusty guard in Magnolia right now in Barroca who played his 622nd consecutive game in the win over Terrafirma,
“Kung kasama lang yung practice, nalagpasan ko na siguro ‘to si coach LA,” Barroca said in jest after that record was brought up in the post-game interview.
Now working with Barroca up close and personal, Tenorio won’t be surprised anymore if it’s the 39-year-old who takes that record of his.
“Grabe disiplina nito sa katawan. Ngayon ko lang nakita up front. I must say mas disiplinado pa ‘to kesa sa 'kin. Dun ko nakikita [kung bakit ganyan siya],” he said.
But not if coach LA can have his say about it - which he can, as he jokingly reminded Barroca about it.
“Pero next time titimingan ko lang to, ibabangko ko lang to isang beses. Titimingan ko lang brad,” he said playfully while laughing.
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