Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 3x3 head coach Kirk Collier beamed with pride on the sidelines as one of the products of his squad flashed his NSD mentality in the end game versus NorthPort Batang Pier inside the Batangas City Coliseum.
Down by double digits late in the game, David did not stop trying help Ginebra get back into the match. The comeback bid fell short but David played his best PBA On Tour game so far with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.
David was the 20th pick of the PBA 47th Season Draft and his 3x3 stint helped pave the way for him to get to the main roster. After riding the bench most of last season, he has suddenly been thrust to a starting role.
With Ginebra mainstays Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, and Scottie Thompson currently with Gilas Pilipinas and with LA Tenorio, Christian Standhardinger, and Stanley Pringle still on the mend, six spots opened up for Ginebra’s on tour squad. After seeing the development of David, their management decided the six 3x3 players they have under contract would fit in nicely.
“I’m really thankful to management because they kept our team together,” said Collier about his halfcourt crew. In PBA 3x3, players often get sign shorter contract and this leads to many and rapid jersey swaps in the tournament. However, Ginebra’s management decided to retain all their players from last season for continuity.
“Having David in the 5-on-5 roster is a huge recruitment tool for us in 3x3 because players know that if they do well enough in 3x3, they could have a shot,” Collier stated. Aside from David, Ginebra 3x3 products Encho Serrano, Mark Dyke, and Jollo Go have also made it to the PBA although they were drafted by other teams.
“When we told our 3x3 guys they were going to play for PBA On Tour, they were all excited because they’ll get to practice with good players and train under our coaches as well,” he stated.
“Not all of them will get to play heavy minutes and some might not even play at all but what happens in the game is only 10% of their stint with the team, the other 90% is how they do it practice and for us coaches, that’s the more important part.”
Among the six Ginebra 3x3 players, four have already joined the PBA Draft before in Donald Gumaru (2020, undrafted), Ralph Salcedo (2018, undrafted), JJ Espanola (2022, 34th), and Nicole Ubalde (2022, 51st). Their first shot at the PBA might have not worked out but they are hoping this could lead to more opportunities for them.
“Nung pandemic titigil na talaga ako dapat sa basketball,” admitted Gumaru. “Wala kasing nangyayari dahil pandemic kaya nag-isip na ako maghanap ng trabaho. Inisip kong mag OFW o mag-seaman.”
The point guard was able to convince himself to stay true to his dream of playing basketball professionally so he joined the PBA 46th Season PBA Draft. Sixty-five names were called in the first draft during the pandemic but no one took a shot at the Arellano product.
“Alam ko namang malabo na ma-pick ako pero at least may ginawa ako,” he said. “It gave him the second wind he needed to continue his basketball journey as he joined different leagues before being scooped up by Ginebra 3x3.
Collier’s squad is by no means a powerhouse so it was a big deal when Gumaru sank the game winner that won Ginebra the Leg 3 of Season 2’s Third Conference.
“Masaya ako na napakita ko kung ano yung kaya kong gawin sa 3x3 tapos ngayon sa 5-on-5 naman. Sino ba naman yung ayaw maglaro sa Ginebra di ba?” he said. “Naniniwala talaga ako na may plano sa akin si God. Basta gagawin ko 'yung part ko, siya bahala sa akin.”
The other side of the coin features Kim Aurin and Ralph Cu, two players that have expressed their bid to join the upcoming draft.
“Actually, I was a San Miguel Beer fan growing up, but it’s a huge honor for me to play for Ginebra,” Cu admitted. “Ginebra has a lot of passionate fans and it’s a great experience for us 3x3 players.
Cu only played three minutes against NorthPort but he’s staying patient throughout the process.
“All I need to do is work hard in practice and hope that I’ll also be given the chance to contribute in the game,” the former Green Archer said. “Kim already got his chance and I’m happy but just being with the team is huge for us before we join the draft.”
As a new PBA 3x3 season is set to open next month, the six Ginebra 3x3 players will be pulling off double duty. They will be playing halfcourt basketball on Mondays and Tuesdays and it could be preceded by a Sunday or followed by a Wednesday PBA on Tour game.
“What works for us is that we’ve introduced simplified concepts of our 5-on-5 game to our 3x3 teams so everything feels familiar for the players. As I’ve said in the past, it’s much easier to go back to 5-on-5 from 3x3 than the other way around so we’re looking for positive results from both games,” closed Collier.
“Ginusto namin ito e kaya hindi kami puwedeng mapagod,” said Gumaru. “Hindi lahat nabibigyan ng ganitong chance kaya hindi namin pwedeng sayangin.”