There should be no doubt about how Brent Paraiso and Terrafirma have embraced the new culture established by Ronald Tubid and the coaches.
The proof was in their stunner of formerly-unbeaten NLEX on Friday. There, the young guard took over in one of their huddles in the second half while the rest of his teammates listened attentively.
“Inuutusan kami ni Coach Ja na ‘yung mga point guards, kami mag-iinstruct sa team,” he said moments after their gritty 114-109 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, which got them back on track in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup.
Paraiso was referring to Jaren Jarencio, formerly of the now-defunct NorthPort Batang Pier franchise, who’s now part of Tubid’s seasoned coaching staff — and actively helping the perennial cellar-dwellers change for the better.
The former PBA star has been vocal about his goal of building a better culture since being appointed as Terrafirma’s lead think-tank in August 2025.
Now, in their third conference together, that plan appears to be working. Paraiso has proactively taken on a leadership role as evidence of how open — and empowering — the coaching staff has been toward its players.
The result? The Dyip caught another big fish in the Road Warriors, who were previously unbeaten at 6-0. Two of their wins came against MVP teams, with another victory over the conference’s defending champions, TNT.
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“Very open naman sila sa suggestions ng mga players, parang pinagkatiwala rin nila sa amin yung game. Suwerte lang,” said the former Letran Knight.
Paraiso himself was crucial in the upset, as he contributed to the 9-0 finishing kick that turned it around in their favor after trailing, 109-105, with 3:10 to go. He went on to finish with a third career-best 18 points, including the and-one bucket that put them up for good, 111-109, with 1:01 left to play.
“‘Yung ang sinabi sa amin ng coaches, play hard lang kami kahit lamang sila, gawin lang namin ‘yung gameplan and stick together,” he said.
“Pati kaming mga players,’yun lang, huwag magbigay. Nung lumamang sila sinabi lang sa amin ni Justin na, ‘This is what we like,’ ‘yung [close] endgame. Sa tingin ko, mas gusto lang naming manalo today.”
But more than his own outing, the 31-year-old finds satisfaction in beating the same team they nearly took the scalp of in the first round.
And in keeping themselves in the playoff race, Terrafirma has now joined Converge at No. 4 in Group A as they now share similar 3-4 records.
“To beat the number one team in the league, malaking confidence booster para sa amin,” he said.
“Siguro maganda ‘yung ini-instill sa amin ng mga coaches na binago ‘yung culture dito, na laban kami hanggang matapos ‘yung ball game.”
