Dyip’s ascent a matter of time

There’s a giant killer on the loose in the PBA and league vice chairman Bobby Rosales, who represents Terrafirma in the Board of Governors, said yesterday it was just a matter of time before the Dyip got rolling. Ending a seven-game losing streak dating back to the previous season, Terrafirma scored back-to-back upsets over San Miguel Beer, 110-104, in OT and Barangay Ginebra, 95-90, to enter today’s game against Blackwater in the Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga, looking for a third straight win.

Juami Tiongson has been at the forefront of the surge, averaging 29.5 points in the twin victories, but coach Johnedel Cardel said it’s been a total team effort that triggered the outbreak, from the management, coaching staff, players to the utility crew. “We’re all in, it’s not just one or two players,” he said. “Lahat kami nagtutulungan. Take Rashawn (McCarthy), we brought him in with 1:15 to go against Ginebra and we were up, 88-84.  I told him this is your time, take the big shot. With our lead down to three, 50 seconds left, Rashawn hit a huge three to ice it.”

Cardel said everyone has a role to play on the team. “We’re fair to our players, no one is treated like a star,” he said. “Even if you don’t score, if you play defense, rebound, dive for the loose ball, you’re contributing. Guys like (Reden) Celda are just as important as long as we play the system. Our coaching staff has been a big help. Gian (Nazario), Ronald (Tubid), James (Tolentino) and Raymond (Tiongco) work together. But it’s not time to celebrate. We’ve won only two games, we’re still far from making the playoffs. Next, we play Blackwater and we’ve got to put in the effort to win. They’ve got great point guards and a great coach Nash Racela. We have to play harder to win.”

Cardel said rookie Joshua Munzon underwent surgery to repair a broken pinky with an inserted plate and is now in the US recovering. He’s out for the conference but he’ll be back in October. Roosevelt Adams, who was also sidelined in the two wins with amoebiasis, should be ready to play today but Cardel said he’ll manage his minutes.

A key player who has stepped up is Matt Ganuelas Rosser. “Ever since he was with San Miguel, I’ve had my eye on him,” said Cardel. “He’s like Gabe Norwood, a point forward. Against Ginebra, I didn’t start Matt and (Joseph) Gabayni. But in the second half, we started Matt at point guard, Gabayni at five, Aldrech (Ramos) at four, Juami at two and (Andreas) Cahilig at three. Then, I rotated Aldrech and Eric (Camson) at four. Eric’s a smart player who’s a tough rebounder while Aldrech gives us range as a stretch four.”

Rosales said Terrafirma has finally solved the problem of collapsing in the third quarter. “The players now follow the system of the coaches,” he said. “They’re relaxed when they play. I just hope the players will have the discipline to stick to the system and continue to believe in themselves. We got a good defensive player in Rosser who’s being slowly transformed to be a point like Gabe or Joe DeVance. Notice he shoots now with his left because of an injury in his right arm. We always knew Juami had a good hand. It was just a matter of time for him to shine. He was a steal for us. (James) Laput will be a big project. Nazario and Tubid have played big roles in transforming this team, especially the mindset of the players.”