If only Chris Banchero had his way, he would stay with the Alaska Aces for much longer.
Alaska is where the Fil-Italian guard started his PBA career when the storied franchise took him with the fifth pick in the 2014 Draft. Since then, he has emerged as one of the league’s top guards.
But just last week, Banchero and the Aces parted ways when the latter sent the 30-year-old to the Magnolia Hotshots in exchange for Robbie Herndon and Rodney Brondial.
“I didn’t wanna be traded, I wanted to stay in Alaska,” expressed Banchero.
“I love playing for Alaska. They took care of me, took care of my family, and put me in a really good situation for the entire five years I was there. And I couldn’t be more grateful for everything they did for me.”
Still, Banchero understands that player trades are part of their job as professional basketball players.
“But it’s a business. And when you don’t win, things happen, things change,” said the Seattle Pacific product, who played in the Finals five times during his stay with the Milkmen but did not win a title.
Now, Banchero is moving on, and he’s looking forward to playing with the Hotshots — the very same team that broke his and the Aces’ hearts in the 2018 Governors’ Cup Finals.
Banchero attended his first practice with his new team on Monday afternoon at the Ronac ART Center in San Juan. He then admitted that putting on a Magnolia jersey felt weird for him.
“It’s still kinda weird for me to put on a Magnolia jersey,” he said. “But it felt really good today.”
He was particularly happy to see the amount of talent that he gets to work with, such as Paul Lee and Mark Barroca, among others.
“I was in the scrimmage today and I looked over, and I got Paul on the right side and I got Mark on the left. And then I got Ping (Marc Pingris) coming out the middle, and then I come off the ball screen with Ian (Sangalang) who’s one of the best big men today here in the PBA,” he said.
“If all those threats really add up, people are gonna have to pick their poison when they’re gonna play us. I’m just excited.”
Banchero will be joining a team loaded with guards. Still, he sees no issues there, saying that he will just do whatever they need from him, even if he will have to play less minutes.
“I talked to coach Chito (Victolero) about that today, [so] I don’t think so. I told them I’m at this point in my career where I don’t have to prove anything,” said the one-time PBA All-Star.
“I’ve been in the PBA and everybody knows the type of player that I am. It’s always fun to come out and score twenty to thirty points and have ten to fifteen assists, but when I was younger, I would probably want the ball more in my hands and try to prove myself. But I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. The only thing I have to prove now is winning, and winning a championship. So regardless of the minutes I play, I’m fine with it because I’m just a weapon for Magnolia,” he continued.
“Whenever they need me, when my name is called, I’m ready to go. I’m not worried about the minutes. I’m just here to make a run at this championship. That’s all it is now.”
