ONCE upon a time, Bernadeth Pons was just like many of us: a fan of Creamline’s plethora of stars.
Now, there can be no doubt that she has staked her claim among that plethora of stars.
READ: Sherwin Meneses faces 'good problem' for Creamline in PVL AFC
“Sobrang grateful ko na nilagay ako ng management sa Creamline kasi unang-una, gusto ko pa na mag-grow, hindi lang sa skills kundi sa character ko din as a player,” Pons shared with SPIN.ph.
“Sobrang ina-admire ko sina ate Ly (Alyssa Valdez), sila ate MG (Michele Gumabao), kung paano yung character nila as players. Sobrang successful nila sa UAAP careers nila kaya ‘yun ‘yung isa sa bagay na ni-look forward ko rin talaga pagdating sa team.”
While the Cool Smashers’ second-leading scorer in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference took an unlikely route from the indoor scene to the sands and back, she now has four PVL titles, a Grand Slam, and one MVP award under her belt.
Of course, it didn't come easy.
When the former Far Eastern University standout made the move to Creamline in 2023, she had to take on the challenge of earning her minutes in a stacked champion team which already had serial winners, MVPs, and former college standouts like herself.
“Hindi naman (ako na-intimidate) kasi lahat naman kami, may role kami sa team eh, starting man kami o hindi,” Pons said.
“Ako, nagtatrabaho lang talaga ako. Kung gamitin ako ni coach (Sherwin Meneses), bibigay ko lang kung ano ‘yung pinag-ensayuhan ko.”
It was that year-long grind of breaking into the starting rotation amid a few fitness issues that fueled Pons’ growth spurt from a top talent to a champion star.
“Pagdating ko rin sa team, hindi rin talaga ako 100 percent kasi meron akong knee injury noon,” Pons bared.
“Sobrang laking bagay lang din talaga na surrounded ako ng mga tao na may sobrang gandang work ethic, sobrang ganda ng character inside and outside the court. ‘Yun ‘yung maganda sa Creamline.”
Defense wins championships
Pons, 28, may be among Creamline’s lethal scorers now, but what she still considers to be her greatest contribution to the champion team isn't those hard hits and quick strings of points.
“Galing ako ng buhangin, so ‘yung sa defense talaga,” the one-time MVP answered when asked about how she has become key to the Cool Smashers' continued contention.
“Nu’ng nag-start ako dito, pinapalit ako ni coach para dumepensa sa likod eh. Sobrang laking bagay din yun na maiangat mo ‘yung bola para maka-set up din nang maayos na play.”
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