2012 Powerade a special team, but Kramer thinks GlobalPort has ‘more depth’
GlobalPort Batang Pier’s Doug Kramer. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Doug Kramer has been in a lot of teams through his 10-year professional career. And he considers himself lucky to be a part of two: the 2012 Powerade team and the current GlobalPort squad.
“I was also the starting center on that team,” he recounts, reflecting on the underdog teams which surprised the league by making it to the semifinals. “That’s a very special team, one of the very best teams I played for.”
He also couldn’t help but see the similarities between his former and present teams.
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“There were a lot of similarities. We have two prolific scorers in Marcio (Lassiter) and Gary (David) at that time, which is very similar to Terrence (Romeo) and Stanley (Pringle) right now.”
However, the former Ateneo stalwart said there one big difference between the two teams.
“I think we have a bit more depth here. I remember as a part of the starting five, we all averaged between 32 to 37 minutes per game, so heavy minutes talaga,” he said, as he shared the court with Lassiter, David, JVee Casio, and Sean Anthony.
READ: Alaska’s defense ‘will be incredibly challenged’ vs GlobalPort, says Compton
“Here, the only guys who do that is Terrence and Stanley, which gives a lot of opportunities for the second unit like Joseph Yeo, Anthony Semerad, and Keith Jensen. We also have good big men coming off the bench in Billy (Mamaril) and Jay Washington. Sometimes, coach puts them in the starting unit. At times, kami naman ni Rico (Maierhofer).”
Kramer also doesn’t believe that the Batang Pier crew will be an inexperienced squad in the big stage.
“That would probably be the case with Stanley and Terrence. But for all the veterans here, we’re all experienced. I’ve been here for 10 years, some even longer pa. It’s a special unit and we’ll see how we go.”
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While Kramer agrees that the team’s focal point will always be Romeo and Pringle, he knows that GlobalPort is also so much more than their dynamic backcourt duo.
“Our heart and soul is Stanley and Terrence. Where they go, the team goes,” said Kramer. “But GlobalPort is more than Stanley and Terrence. We need their consistent outputs, but we need the consistent defense and support of the big guys, and also the other wing men. It goes hand-in-hand.”
And this crew is ready to go to a dogfight against the fiestly Alaska, which also has a source of energy in guys like Calvin Abueva and Vic Manuel.
“They’re workhorses over there,” Kramer said, as he prepares for war down low. “Mapapalaban kami, but we’re up to the task to challenge those guys.”
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