Trollano shines in PBA semis debut for Rain or Shine
Don Trollano heads to the bench as his teammates greet him with cheers. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Opportunity, they say, knocks at your door when least you expect it. In the case of Don Trollano, the moment he’s been waiting for came Thursday when Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao tapped him to start for Game Two of the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series.
The rookie reserve guard-forward confessed he was stunned. Who wouldn’t?
With Paul Lee back in the rotation, Trollano — who bore a hole on the bench two nights ago – knows well there’s a little chance he could play. Not to mention the team was hard-pressed to bounce back after blowing a 22-point lead in a 100-76 loss to defending champion San Miguel in the Tuesday series opener.
READ: Guiao: Rain or Shine will give Fajardo ‘hell’ for 7 games
Fortunately, Guiao is one coach who doesn’t subscribe to keeping a fixed starting line-up. His starting five depends on the match-up they’re up against.
“Sa isang rookie hindi ko naman hinihintay na maipasok ako. Pero kung dumating yung pagkakataon gagawin ko ang best ko. Pero ngayon talagang sobrang saya ko. First time kong makapaglaro ng semifinals sa PBA kaya talagang pinilit kong makatulong sa team sa abot ng kakayahan ko,” offered the former Adamson Falcon gun slinger.
Trollano played a total 19 minutes and Guiao swears he’s impressed with the performance of his rookie who finished with 13 points on a 5 of 6 shooting as the Elasto Painters defeated the Beermen, 105-97 to even the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
Trollano said he was so thrilled when he knocked down the first basket of his first PBA semifinal game — a 3-pointer at the 10:30 mark of the first quarter.
“Si (Marcio) Lassiter nasa harapan ko. Sobrang saya ko nung pumasok. Tumaas yung kumpiyansa ko,” related Trollano, still thrilled long after the game was over.
His performance certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
“I always give my players their chances whether they’re doing badly or not just to give them their confidence,” Guiao said. “But I’ll be crazy if I don’t give him credit (for his performance). He definitely deserves another chance. Alam kong kaya nya yun. Matatag ang batang yan at mataino maglaro.” Guiao said. (Dave Coros)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
