CHICAGO - As the TNT Tropang Giga went on a playoffs semifinals dress rehearsal with a 135-102 quarterfinals demolition of Phoenix Super LPG on Wednesday, Glenn Khobuntin proved to be such a joy to watch.
It was a coming of age performance by the 31-year old Cagayan native who sizzled with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists while answering the call of head coach Jojo Lastimosa.
It's tempting to call Glenn a late-bloomer but the fact that he was in the basketball prison that is Terrafirma from 2017 to 2020 gives me pause. No one blooms while wallowing in a losing culture.
But now that he is with TNT, Khobuntin is demonstrably happy, playing starter's minutes and poised to reenact his high school and college glory days at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and National University, respectively.
At 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, Khobuntin brings mayhem on both ends of the floor, finally fulfilling the promise that made him the No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 PBA draft.
As Glenn's stock soared, so did Roger Pogoy's.
The sweet-shooting Cebuano had another efficient outing, this time dropping 25 on 11 of 18 fare from the field. RR also had 11 rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes and six seconds of action.
TNT IS SLOWLY, CLEARLY BECOMING POGOY'S TEAM.
And that's because the highly-overpaid Mikey Williams cannot be consistently relied upon in big games.
With a semis berth on the line, Williams managed just 14 points in 34 minutes and 17 seconds of play. He was a tepid 6-of-15 from the field and just 2-of-8 from 3. He also had two turnovers against seven dimes.
Not exactly a superstar turn from a guard who reportedly makes $26,000 a month while pulling in a $150,000 contract signing bonus, sources say.
Once upon a time, TNT's fortunes depended heavily on Mikey Williams, his warts and all.
Not anymore.
The emergence of Khobuntin and the continued rise of Pogoy puts the Tropang GIGA in a really good place.
COACH CHITO SPEAKS. Despite an 0-3 start, a change of imports, a health scare from big man Ian Sangalang and a massive collapse in a do-or-die game, coach Chito Victolera refused to believe that the Governors' Cup was a doomed conference.
"I would not consider it doomed, but rather more of a challenging conference due to several factors," he said.
"One is the absence of Ian Sangalang whom we all know would have been a great help had he played with the team. Antonio Hester's presence and the team's combined strength and effort helped us recover somehow.
"But of course, I must admit that it would have helped us more if Ian were around."
Fair enough.
While he is comforted with another playoff appearance, Victolero maintains that the constant goal is winning a championship.
Magnolia fell short and will lick its wounds.
"The entire team is doubly determined to come back stronger in the coming season."
Hopefully, Ian is nursed back to good health soon enough.
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