Reserves Ganuelas-Rosser, Heruela play breakout game in place of injured Cabagnot
RESERVES Brian Heruela and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser waited for the perfect opportunity to come up with a breakout performance.
With veteran guard Alex Cabagnot sidelined by a foot injury, the two players plucked from the bench stepped up big time and delivered in helping the reigning three-time Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beermen in notching their fifth straight win and remaining undefeated in the tournament.
Mr. Heruela finished with 17 points, stole the ball six times and dished out five assists in 23 minutes of playing time. His overall impact in the game can be seen based on his plusminus performance where he had a total of 25.
Long-time teammate and reigning four-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo wasn’t surprised at all with Mr. Heruela’s performance.
“He’s been doing that for a long time,” said Mr. Fajardo, who played alongside Mr. Heruela in University of Cebu. “He just needs minutes to play and showcase what he can do. He’s always ready, keeping himself in tip-top condition and Coach Leo (Austria) is aware of that.”
Mr. Austria could only agree with Mr. Fajardo as Mr. Heruela was the star of the show — for the time being.
“He stole the show from June Mar, Arwind ( Santos) and Marcio Lassiter tonight,” added Mr. Austria, who hopes to see games like this one from their reserves, knowing it would take a few more weeks for Mr. Cabagnot before he gets back to action.
“According to the doctor, he will be missing three to four weeks. Probably, he’ll see action in the second week of February. We’ll do our best to fast-track his recovery, although we’re not on a rush to have him back.”
Like Mr. Heruela, Mr. Ganuelas- Rosser had his most productive game in a San Miguel uniform, finishing with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The former Gilas standout admitted he waited for this moment to happen.
“That’s how I felt, it’s only a matter of time. I always had this in me, but with Alex (Cabagnot) being down, I just have to step up. That’s what Coach ( Leo Austria) is telling us. We don’t know how long Alex won’t be playing. So me, Brian ( Heruela) and Von ( Pessumal), everybody is waiting for our time. When our name is called, we have to play hard and step up,” said Mr. Ganuelas-Rosser.
The hardworking forward is looking to play more productive games such as this one.
“It was fun. I’m excited for the rest of the conference. This is definitely a confidencebuilder for me, personally. So I just have to keep moving forward and keep getting better,” added Mr. Ganuelas-Rosser.
His performance was obviously an upgrade. Last season, the reed-thin swingman struggled to find his mark with his new squad, but is now getting himself accustomed to the scheme of the things of an overloaded squad like the Beermen.
“When they traded for me, that’s my role. Some days I’ll score, some days I won’t score. I get rebounds, get steals, get assists. I like this role. I embrace it. My teammates, they give me confidence, the coaches, they give me confidence. Management, they give me confidence. I’m super comfortable. They just let me do the things I’m comfortable with. I’m playing with the four-time MVP, that helps. It’s fun,” added Mr. Ganuelas-Rosser. —