Stephen Holt’s chase for a PBA championship continues in his third year in the league and second with Barangay Ginebra, which starts its life minus Jamie Malonzo.
Holt is expected to pick up some of the slack left by Malonzo, who moved to Japan to play for B.League club Kyoto Hannaryz, as the Gin Kings aim to be on the winning side this time after falling short twice in the Finals last season.
‘Jamie’s been a great player for us and we’re gonna miss him,’ Holt said ahead of Ginebra’s season-opening clash with sibling rival Magnolia on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. ‘But at the end of the day, our culture at Ginebra is ‘Next Man Up.’
‘Other guys will have the opportunity to step up and I’m excited with the group that we have. We’ve been working so hard in preseason and we wanted to build upon last season and hopefully win a championship.’
The arrival of rookie Sonny Estil and veteran Norbert Torres could also help alleviate Malonzo’s departure, while RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario, Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson are also expected to lead the charge once more for coach Tim Cone.
Also expected to do more is Holt, who posted 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 70 games for the Gin Kings. It was his first season with the title favorites following his Rookie of the Year campaign with the Terrafirma Dyip.
With Holt, Ginebra made it to the Finals of the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, only to fall short on both occasions to TNT. The Gin Kings were later sent off by the eventual champion San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Cup semifinals.
They hope to write a different story this season.
‘You want to put yourself in a position to win a championship, and we did that last season,’ Holt said. ‘For us, it’s all about fighting through adversity and continuing that resiliency and fight so there’s a lot of room for us to grow.’