Sleepy-eyed Grundy wakes up to reality

MANILA, Philippines - It was an awakening that Anthony Grundy, the Petron import with the drowsy look, welcomed like manna from heaven. But a few hours after the Blaze captured the PBA Governors Cup crown last Sunday night, Grundy said he still couldn’t believe his luck.

 “It’ll probably hit me when I wake up in the morning,” said the 32-year-old North Carolina State veteran. “In all my years playing basketball, this is my first championship. I came close to winning a title once in Venezuela but my team lost, 4-2, in the finals. What makes this even more special is we weren’t supposed to win. I don’t think we were given much of a chance against Talk ‘N’ Text.”

Grundy said he didn’t know a thing about the Philippines when he got a call from his agent inviting him to fly to Manila last month. “I was in Turkey preparing for next season,” related Grundy. “My agent asked me if I wanted to play in the PBA as a replacement for someone who got injured. At that time, all I knew about the Philippines was the label in one of my gadgets marked ‘Made in the Philippines.’ But I told myself, yeah, sure, I’ll take a chance and fly over. Then, coach Paul (Howard) talked to me about the PBA, advising me not to take the league lightly, that it was a competitive situation. Things happen for a reason and I’ve never regretted the decision.”

Grundy has traveled around the world to play the game for a living. Before landing in Manila, he had stints in Germany, Cyprus, Sweden, Israel, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

The Governors Cup opened with Petron parading import Ricky Harris. After a game, Harris was replaced by Jeremy Wise. Grundy made his PBA debut in the Boosters’ last outing in the eliminations, led the Blaze to a 3-2 record in the semifinals and fueled Petron’s 4-3 victory over the Texters in the finals. He collected 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 44 minutes as Petron repulsed Talk ‘N’ Text, 85-73, in Game 7 of the title series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday. 

Petron team manager Hector Calma and coach Ato Agustin both agreed Grundy was the best import of the conference although the official award went to Rain Or Shine’s Arizona Reid.

Grundy said he has no immediate plans of leaving Manila. His wife Teele is arriving from the US on Thursday and they intend to celebrate their wedding anniversary here on Aug. 30. “I’ve been telling my wife how beautiful the Philippines is when we speak on the phone,” said Grundy who has four children, the eldest at 18 and the youngest at 12. “She couldn’t come earlier because of timing issues as she takes care of the kids. We might go to Boracay. Of all the leagues I’ve played in, the PBA is special. I wouldn’t mind staying over and buying a place in Manila. If I’m asked to play in the PBA again, no doubt, I would drop everything to come. I learned a lot from my coach in Greece especially about the European game and I love Athens but there’s something about the Philippines and the PBA that’s special to me. The Filipino fans are the best in the world. And I think the Petron coaching staff does a great job, preparing for every game with a lot of attention to detail. Our level of motivation hit the roof. Our coaches laid out a battle plan to beat Talk ‘N’ Text and we just followed it to the letter.”

Grundy said he couldn’t let down his teammates. He was held to only five points in Game 6 which Talk ‘N’ Text won, 104-78, to force a winner-take-all Game 7. “I can’t explain what happened in Game 6 which was a close-out game for us,” he said. “I didn’t hit the shots I normally make. I wasn’t aggressive. Their defense took me out of the zone. But I knew I couldn’t have two off-nights in a row. I was determined to bounce back in Game 7. Mo Baker did a good job in Game 6 running on adrenaline. But in Game 7, I knew he’d be tired because he hadn’t played in an actual game in about three weeks. We worked hard to win and luckily, we were blessed.”

Grundy’s next stop is Turkey where the league is set to start in October.