There are far bigger things to worry about for Mark Barroca and a heated exchange with an opponent is not — and won’t ever be– one of them.
The veteran guard downplayed the spat between him and Adrian Nocum late in Magnolia’s eventual defeat to Rain or Shine on Wednesday evening.
“Wala naman ‘yun, Tapos na ‘yun. Move forward na lang,” he told reporters moments after their narrow 102-100 loss at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The incident happened during a jump ball situation between Jhonard Clarito and Zav Lucero with 8.8 seconds left to play when Barroca didn’t take lightly how physical the sophomore guard got while jockeying for position.
The referees plus their respective teammates had to get in the middle to prevent any untoward incident from taking place and although the situation was diffused, the 38-year-old floor general was visibly seething.
So much so that he headed straight to their dugout the moment the final buzzer sounded, no longer taking part in the customary postgame handshake.
“Natuhod niya ‘ko rito sa may kuwan. Na-charley horse niya ‘ko e. Kasi kinuha niya ‘yung space, naangat, nagulat din ako,” Barroca explained.
Then again, the 13-year pro no longer wants to dwell on it, saying that it’s part of the game — and he knows that Nocum is as fierce a competitor as he is.
“Wala lang yun, game lang, kasi intense yung game eh, parang ‘di natin alam minsan nangyayari ‘di ba? Sobrang gigil tayo manalo, may ganun,” he said.
“Pero wala naman ‘yun. Si Nocum kaibigan ko naman yun. Tinitingnan ko yung bata na yun, magaling na bata. Sa game nadala lang, pati ako nadadala rin ako sa game, kasi gusto namin manalo,” added the six-time PBA champion.
The true concern of Barroca is the slump that the Hotshots have gotten into in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Following Wednesday’s result, the team has fallen to its fourth loss in a row — a rare skid for the traditional contenders.
“Sabi nga namin, nag-aaverage kami 2.5 points per game na talo. Masakit. Parang one stop away, one rebound away na lang kami, one basket away. Struggle talaga,” said the former FEU star, who had 18 points versus RoS.
Per league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, it is Magnolia’s worst start since also going 1-4 to begin the 2019 Philippine Cup, although it still reached the Finals and was a win away from the title versus San Miguel with a 3-2 lead.
And so, it’s all on them, Barroca said, to turn their fortunes around in this mid-season conference, where 12 other teams are hungry as well.
“Playoff mode na kami siguro. Backs against the wall, ngayon pa lang. Parang ang aga pa ng conference, nasa baba na kami,” he said.
“Sense of urgency talaga na kailangan namin,” he added. “Every game is crucial for us kasi ‘pag matalo pa kami, mahirapan na kami bumalik.”
