SIDNEY Onwubere returned to a place he calls home on Wednesday during Game Three of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals in Dasmariñas City.
The Barangay Ginebra forward spent his high school career at the Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Concepcion Academy located in Dasmariñas, a stone's throw away from the City of Dasmariñas Arena where Wednesday’s game was played.
Onwubere stayed with EAC in college but moved to its campus in Manila and played in the NCAA, where he became a Mythical Team member in 2017.
Sellout crowd not a surprise
The 30-year-old Onwubere said he was no longer surprised with the sellout crowd at the 4,500-seater venue on Wednesday, knowing how passionate the people of Dasmariñas City are for basketball.
The soldout crowd was a shot in the arm for the PBA, which has been struggling to lure fans in Metro Manila venues this conference.
Onwubere also sensed that Wednesday’s playdate would be a packed house with the amount of ticket requests he got from friends.
“I spent five years here when I was in high school. It’s a nice place. Basketball fan ang mga tao dito. Even sa mga barangay games, it’s like this. Pero more (fans) pa rin sa PBA so expected na talaga,” said Onwubere.
“I was happy na makabalik dito. Manila from here is far. I’m happy that I got to go up here and play for Ginebra,” said Onwubere.
Unfortunately, Onwubere’s homecoming didn’t result in a victory as Ginebra suffered an 87-80 defeat at the hands of Meralco on Wednesday, in the process falling 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven semifinal series.
“I’m happy na nakapaglaro dito uli,” said Onwubere, who played eight minutes in Game Three and had three points and three rebounds. “Unfortunately, hindi kami nakapagpakita ng maganda sa tao kasi tambak ‘yung game and we lost."
“Actually, I have of friends, teammates na gusto manood kaso soldout ‘yung tickets. Hopefully, next time,” said Onwubere.
More PBA games in Dasmariñas
With the reception of the fans, Onwubere is hopeful that the PBA would return to the city and play more games at the Dasmariñas Arena soon, even games that do not involve Barangay Ginebra.
“Hopefully, bumalik ‘yung PBA dito. Hindi lang Ginebra. Hindi lang Meralco. Especially sa eliminations, hopefully makapaglaro pa dito,” said Onwubere.
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