MERCADO UNDERSTANDS ROMERO’S WINNING CULTURE
Sol Mercado knew it the moment Mikee Romero’s group acquired his services.
“I understand the winning culture of this group,” said Mercado. “Mikee Romero has a winning reputation and when I got traded to this team, I knew that this team is hell bound to bring its winning reputation to the PBA.”
The stocky 5-foot-11 guard used to play for Romero’s Harbour Centre squad in the amateurs and won numerous championships with the franchise.
The scoring and assist leader last conference wants nothing but to help the young franchise bring back its glory days in the defunct Philippine Basketball League where Romero’s team established a league dynasty.
And Mercado is excited, especially with all the retooling the team had undergone prior to the start of the Commissioner’s Cup.
“We had scorers in this team in Gary (David) and Willie (Miller) and we just added an athletic big man in Japeth Aguilar,” said Mercado. “I’d love to give the game winning assist to anyone of them.”
When asked to score, Mercado said he won’t back down from the challenge.
“Whatever is asked of me, I will do it just to help my team win,” he added.
In his first game with his new squad, Mercado quickly brought his energized game to the mix. He finished with a double-double – 17 points and 11 assists – and displayed his leadership, especially during the time when the Batang Pier lost import Justin Williams due to a flagrant foul penalty two in the early part of the third period.
Mercado sees a brighter future with his new team and he is determined to help the team to make a complete turnaround from its disappointing Philippine Cup where the team lost all but one game.
This time, Mercado and company made sure they got that first big W in the bag. (RJ)
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