SOL EMBRACES LEADER’S ROLE
Young and dangerous. That’s what the GlobalPort Batang Pier are.
Flanked by a cast of young veterans, gritty defenders, and of course, rookies, GlobalPort is slowly finding its footing in the league after a dismal first season.
And who better to lead the Batang Pier than the Sol Train himself, Sol Mercado.
The five-year veteran has embraced the role given to him by the squad, and has always been a go-to guy for GlobalPort in the end game.
“Management wants me to be there. They called me to be the leader and I don’t mind doing that,” Mercado said. “Its just tough at times. We got so many young players. It takes time with any team to build that chemistry. You get new players, and it takes time to build that team. But we’ll get it together. I’m excited to see how we’ll be down the stretch.”
He added, “We have to learn how to win in those crucial times. I have to allow myself to take over. It’s a learning process, and you become better from it. You think of what you could have done and you come back and become better.”
The six-foot guard from Biola University also said that though criticisms have been fired their way, he doesn’t really listen to them, opting to improve his game more than just silencing his doubters.
“People say stuff about me and Mark (Cardona) can’t coexist before, me and Gary (David) can’t coexist in the past,” Mercado said. “There are teams who have been successful by having scorers, but were not just scorers. We do other things. Once we solve it, it’s still a journey. We’re still in the process of building chemistry and knowing each other.”
“Mark my words. Once we learn it and once we come together, we’re gonna be a dangerous team and it’s going to be scary for the league. It’s a journey and I’m excited to see what happens in the future.” (RLeongson)
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