Arvin Tolentino finally experienced playing in front of the Barangay Ginebra faithful in their return to the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Friday night.
And he did make the most out of it. The sophomore forward turned in a career-high performance, helping the Gin Kings hand NorthPort a 108-82 beating for their second straight win in the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup.
He finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, on top of a pair of rebounds and a steal in a little over 25 minutes as a starter.
“First time ko maglaro kasama ‘yung Ginebra crowd,” he said during the walk-off interview as he was bestowed with Player of the Game honors.
Tolentino previously said that he imagined how it would feel like representing the league’s most popular ball club before its avid fans.
Not that he doesn’t have any inkling of which. He had felt it himself during the 2019 Governors’ Cup Finals, as he and his fellow draftees witnessed their seniors rule the tilt for the third time in four years at Meralco’s expense.
“Ang sarap sa pakiramdam, ang sarap sa tenga kahit sobrang lakas. Alam mo ‘yung every basket nagchi-cheer yung mga fans, especially yung mga crucial moments. ‘Pag naririnig mo ‘yung Ginebra, goosebumps eh,” he told 2OT.
Being a solid ka-Barangay as well since he was young, that was really a dream of the Angono native. And that finally turned into reality on Friday.
“Actually, nag-flashback sa akin nung bata ako kasi Ginebra fan din ako e, so ngayon andito na ako, naglalaro for Ginebra. Sobrang saya.
“And, sobrang blessed,” said Tolentino, who turned 26 just last November 5. “Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord.”
The fans surely added more fire to the Far Eastern University product, although there’s actually another reason behind his inspired play.
“May bago kaming inspiration ng wife ko, si baby Olivia,” said the first-time dad.
“Nanonood siya ngayon, also ‘yung wife ko. Kaya ganado.”
