It wasn’t the kind of send-off import that Rashad Woods had wanted, as his NorthPort Batang Pier lost steam and bowed to Mike Harris and the Alaska Aces, 85-95, Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Woods strapped the Batang Pier on his back in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 of his 33 points in the frame alone. But the Aces were too much to handle, as they uncorked a 14-0 run to shut the door on NorthPort.
The Batang Pier have ended their 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup campaign with a 2-9 card – a far cry from their stints in the 2018 Philippine and Commissioner’s Cups, where they qualified for the quarterfinals.
“Everybody knows we started with injuries. We didn’t have our team complete in the beginning. We just started to get a little chemistry at the end. It just didn’t work out. It didn’t work out,” lamented the wide-bodied Woods.
For Woods, this isn’t the ideal way to end his first-ever PBA stint. But even if it had been a run full of disappointments, the 31-year-old from Houston said that it was still a great experience for him playing in the Filipino pro league.
“PBA’s great. Everybody respects the PBA. Even back in the States, they ask me, ‘Why you never played in the PBA?’ I said I didn’t have an opportunity. And now I’m here, people always message me about PBA,” said Woods.
“It’s a great league. Respected league also.”
“The fan support is great,” added Woods. “I played in a league a little stronger than this but PBA is a great league. I have nothing bad to say about this league. Every team has great players, fifteen players come to practice. I love it.
“If I come back, it would be nice.”
Woods’ sights are now focused on his next job, and it won’t be that far from the Philippines, as he himself said that he’ll be back in Southeast Asia. However, he did not drop any hints as to where his next destination will be.
“I’ll be back in Southeast Asia. Where I’m going you’ll see it online,” said Woods with a grin.
