FULLY rested and recovered come next season, Marcio Lassiter knows exactly what the first order of business will be for the San Miguel Beermen.
Regain the coveted PBA Philippine Cup crown.
Although much has been said about the team’s ageing core following its failure to retain the title that the franchise has turned into a monopoly over the last five years, Lassiter didn’t hold back about his desire to reclaim the all-Filipino conference with this same veteran Beermen unit.
“I want to get a second crack at this,” said the 33-year-old gunner without batting an eyelash. “I don’t want or any of us, definitely (we) don’t like this feeling.”
The feeling was a bitter pill to swallow for the proud ballclub.
For the first time in six years, San Miguel spent the holidays not as Philippine Cup champions, after being denied of the right when the Beermen were eliminated by the Meralco Bolts in the quarterfinals of the bubble season despite owning a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs as the No. 4 seeded team.
San Miguel of course, was without its two major players in six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and high-scoring guard Terrence Romeo. The 6-foot-9 Fajardo was out for the entire season after undergoing surgery on his shin injury, while Romeo suffered a shoulder injury two games into the season restart that led to his forced exit from the bubble.
But the Beermen were still a competitive unit behind the veteran presence of Lassiter, former MVP Arwind Santos, two-time Defensive Player of the Year Chris Ross, and Alex Cabagnot to go with the young nucleus of Mo Tautuaa, Von Pessumal, Russel Escoto, and Paul Zamar along with new recruits Gelo Alolino, Bam Gamalinda, and Daniel De Guzman.
The grinding playing schedule in the bubble however, took its toll to the team that by the time the playoffs came, the Beermen were obviously an already tired and spent side.
It didn’t help any that injuries also caught up with Lassiter, Ross, and Cabagnot, which Meralco was quick to pounce on, running the Beermen to the ground with its up-tempo game to make it two wins in a row and put an end to one of the most dominant all-Filipino dynasties in the history of the PBA.
“They (fans) expected a lot out of us, so it definitely hurts,” said Lassiter. “I don’t want to see this happen to the team.”
Lassiter was hit by injuries one after the other while inside the bubble. Hardly recovered from a right calf muscle strain, he likewise hurt his groin in the second half of San Miguel’s do-or-die game against Meralco for a berth in the semis.
“The injury bug hit us a little bit, and that was a big blow including to myself,” said the Fil-Am forward, recalling the events that led to the downfall of the mighty Beermen.
“But at the same time, we just have to compete. I just have to keep playing through it (injury). I left it all in the court.”
Without making excuses, Lassiter said San Miguel could have really given anybody a run for its money during the bubble conference.
“I know I can play at a high level. I know all of us can play at a high level,” he added.
With Fajardo and Romeo expected to rejoin the team when the new season kicks off in April of 2021 and some of the wounded players finally rejuvenated, Lassiter feels the Beermen have a very good shot at going back to the top.
After a few weeks of rest, Lassiter was back in the grind and looking forward to being healthy and ready again for the next PBA campaign.
“I’m here to rest and recover, and bounce back stronger. That’s the only thing I can do,” he said. “I’ll let the stuff heal and I will be right back at it even harder.”
At the same time, like a wounded tiger, he knows deep in his heart how the rest of the Beermen are raring to get back.
“It’s something that we taken a lot of pride in,” Lassiter proudly said.
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