MANILA, Philippines — Veteran Arwind Santos is looking forward to bringing his act to NorthPort and helping turn young gun Robert Bolick and his high-potential teammates into a PBA power.
goal ni Robert Bolick nung magkausap kami, sabi niya, ‘kuya…sana mag-champion tayo, gumawa tayo ng history at makapag-champion.’ Oh, maganda yan, sabi ko. Kasama mo ako dyan, suportahan kita,” Santos said in The Game on One Sports.
“Sabi ko, sana lahat ganyan din ang goal para mas madali at pagtutulung-tulungan natin.”
After a long, fruitful run with San Miguel Beer, the 40-year-old Santos was shipped to the Batang Pier, a team still searching for a breakthrough title in the league.
The 2013 MVP expressed belief his new teammates led by Bolick and Greg Slaughter have the tools to contend.
“Wala pa nga ako sa kanila, talagang may potential na sila. Dati nag No. 2 (2019 Commissioner’s Cup), tinalo lang namin (SMB) nung nagkatapat kami (in the semifinals),” noted Santos, who switched places with Vic Manuel in the SMB-NorthPort deal.
“Di ko sinasabi mas lumakas sila (with me) pero tingin ko malaki ang maitutulong ko sa offense and defense. Ngayon, we’re looking at semis muna, pag naka-semis dadahan-dahanin. Hindi natin masasabing madali pero naniniwala ako na may kakayahan ang NorthPort basta’t gugustuhin lang namin na manalo at magtiwala lang sa isa’t isa.”
The Batang Pier are coming off a quarterfinal stint in the last Philippine Cup in Bacolor. Seeded fifth, the Pido Jarencio-coach squad lost to fourth-ranked SMB in a best-of-three affair (2-0).