Jarencio says staying home, safe a priority

MANILA, Philippines — NorthPort coach Pido Jarencio said yesterday staying home to stay safe is a priority and pledged the Batang Pier to give back to management for its support during the lockdown when the PBA season reopens.

“Lahat tayo naghihirap kaya malaking bagay magtulung-tulong,” said Jarencio who’s honing his cooking skills with dishes like kalderetang baka and afritadang manok in self-quarantine. “Ang management very supportive palagi. When this is over, kami naman will give back sa laro. Pag-balik ng PBA, dapat ready to go na. Sina Robert (Bolick) at Jonathan (Grey), sana makahabol sa kanilang rehab. Baka good na sila by June or July. Si Brad (Guinto), 75 to 80 percent na siya. Si Kevin (Ferrer), sana gumaling na paa niya. The lockdown will give us time to recover.”

Jarencio said the team communicates through a viber group to keep everyone connected. “Kasama sa viber group sina (NorthPort governor) Boss Erick (Arejola) at (team manager) Boss Bonnie (Tan),” he said. “Kanya-kanyang conditioning program. Stay at home lang, wash hands at kung kailangan lumabas, stay safe, wear mask at maintain social distancing. Buhay muna bago lahat. Tingin ko, mahirap naman tamaan ng virus mga players kasi malalakas ang resistensya nila. Alam nila it’s important to stay in shape. Iba na ngayon mga players, disciplined sila. Basketball is their livelihood kaya hindi sila nagpapabaya.”

NorthPort went through a difficult period last season. Grey went down after six games in the Commissioner’s Cup and Guinto missed the last two conferences. Bolick was sidelined after seven outings in the Governors Cup. Stanley Pringle and Mo Tautuaa were traded while Sol Mercado, Ferrer, Jervy Cruz and Christian Standhardinger came on board. Despite the turbulence, NorthPort created a stir in the Governors Cup, posting a five-game win streak that was marked by two decisions over eventual champion Ginebra and three over No. 1 seed NLEX, including a historic 126-123 triple overtime triumph. NorthPort finished No. 8 in the eliminations and ousted No. 1 NLEX in the quarterfinals to advance to the semis.

Jarencio said before entering the Governors Cup quarterfinals with a twice-to-win disadvantage, he reminded the players to just stick to the game plan, offensively and defensively. “Stay aggressive, sabi ko sa kanila,” he said. “One game at a time, go hard, make the right decisions. Simple lang lahat na ginawa namin. Simple plays. They know what I want. They’re intelligent players, kaya easy to adjust.”