Batang Pier shock Kings sans Romeo

MANILA, Philippines –  Coach Pido Jarencio said he isn’t going to make a big fuss out of GlobalPort’s 94-92 victory over a loaded Barangay Ginebra side since their game was nothing more than a tuneup match on Wednesday at the CCF gym in Pasig City.

 

After blowing a 12-point lead in the first half, last season’s Rookie of the Year Stanley Pringle poured 15 of his team-high 20 points in the payoff quarter to tow the Batang Pier to the win.

 

“Preseason training lang naman ito eh,” Jarencio told Philstar.com, whose team missed the services of young superstar Terrence Romeo.

 

Romeo is coming off a two-month stint with Gilas Pilipinas, with the national team finishing second in the just-concluded Fiba-Asia men’s championships in Changsha, China.

 

“At least, nakikita mo yung mga mistakes saka mga kulang pa namin dahil for now, mga 70-percent pa lang naman kami,” explained the 51-year-old GlobalPort coach.

 

Jarencio said the sweet-shooting Romeo will be out for at least a week to rest after a rigid two-month buildup with Gilas.

 

But the soft-spoken former University of Santo Tomas coach expects the former Far Eastern University standout to make a smooth return to the Batang Pier before the opening of the season on Oct. 18.

 

“Depende kung gusto niya na mag-ensayo sinabi ko na magpahinga na muna siya, kasi kawawa yung bata eh,” he said.

 

For the moment, Jarencio said they will play two more tuneup matches against Barako Bull (Oct. 14) and KL Dragons from the Asean Basketball League (Oct. 16) as he tries to give their offseason recruits more time to jell with the rest of the holdovers from last season.

 

The Batang Pier have several new faces entering the PBA’s 41st season, led by recent acquisition Dorian Pena, Jervy Cruz, rookies Philip Paniamogan and Roi Sumang as well as Jay Washington, who was traded back to the team by Talk ‘N Text.