Troy Rosario exploded for his season-high against the Alaska Aces
It seems like TNT Katropa’s stretch forward Troy Rosario won’t be experiencing a sophomore slump.
After averaging 11.4 points in the first five games of the 2016 PBA Philippine Cup, the former National University Bulldog was red-hot on a cold December night, going 8-for-13 from the field — including an excellent 4-for-5 from distance for 26 markers against the Alaska Aces. Moreover, this outing was five points shy of his career-high.
“Pinapractice ko naman talaga,” the 25-year-old said about his outside shooting. “Yun ang binibigay ng depensa sa akin at yung system din namin.
“Pag open ako, may lisensya naman ako itira yung shots pag open ako.”
But outside of setting his personal season mark, his team was able to break away from a 3-2 tie in the standings against the Aces after the 109-100 win. For Rosario, this was the perfect year-ender for them after a tough 2016.
“Malaking bagay ito sa amin kaso umangat kami ng konti. Ang daming 3-2, dikit-dikit, nakakatakot isang talo, bagsak ka agad sa baba,” the second overall pick in the 2015 draft said.
“Next year may baon kami. Meron kaming at least one game na advantage sa mga kalaban namin.”
Rosario and the Katropa though are entering a long break before returning to the hard court on January 7 against the NLEX Road Warriors. The 6-foot-6 forward is planning to use this time off to get more familiar with the system of first-year TNT head coach Nash Racela.
“Alam naman natin na nagpalit ng coach. Parang nangangapa pa. Kahit sabihin na nandiyan na siya dati, may mga changes pa rin na gustong mangyari na dati,” he shared.
“Karamihan sa team bata kaya pag mas naturuan kami, gagawin at gagawin talaga namin ng consistent.”
And with this mindset, it looks like we will see more games like this one from Rosario.
