Roger Pogoy couldn’t help but burst into tears after TNT successfully reached the summit of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup, Friday evening.
While the majority of the Tropang Giga celebrated right away after their 94-79 conquest of Magnolia – which won the ball club’s first championship in six years – he knelt down on one knee with his head bowed.
“Sobrang sarap talaga sa feeling, kasi tagal ko nang hinintay ‘to,” the two-way specialist explained to Tiebreaker Times a day after the triumph.
It was definitely an arduous journey for Pogoy. Before becoming the PBA champ that he is right now, the Cebuano guard had to endure heartbreaks.
Since entering the league in 2016 by way of the special Gilas draft, the national team veteran has actually reached the Finals thrice. All those trips, however, resulted in bridesmaid finishes.
Thus, the emotional moment he had along the sidelines of the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym.
“Dami ko nang Finals din na puro talo, kaya sobrang saya ko nung nakuha ko na,” said Pogoy, who’s now won in every level he’s played.
As blessed as he feels to finally reach success in the pro ranks, there’s another reason why the 29-year-old is on cloud nine.
During the course of the titular series, Pogoy became victorious off the court. He finally graduated from Far Eastern University (FEU) with a degree in Sports and Recreation Management (BSEd SRM).
The one-time UAAP gold medalist said that he really wanted to finish his studies no matter what, since he believes in the importance of education.
“Gusto ko talaga tapusin pag-aaral. Marami kasing nag-aadvice sa akin na hindi habang buhay ang basketball, dapat talaga makatapos din sa pag-aaral. Kaya tinapos ko talaga,” said Pogoy, who ended his collegiate career in 2015.
“Iba din talaga sa pakiramdam na nakatapos ka sa pagaaral mo, kasi hindi na makukuha sa’yo ‘yang tinapos mo – sa’yo na talaga ‘yan.”
From securing a diploma to winning the prestigious Perpetual trophy, there is plenty to celebrate for Pogoy and his family.
“Sobrang sarap din kasi ang dami kong achievements ngayon. Tapos na ako sa pag-aaral, tapos nag-champion pa. Dami kong ise-celebrate,” he said with a chuckle.
And definitely, he would want to taste that championship feeling again. It’s something that he looks forward to since he is full of optimism with the Tropang Giga’s future now that they have gotten over the hump.
Photo by PBA Images
“Excited talaga ako sa team namin ngayon para sa upcoming conference. Ang ganda ng samahan talaga namin. Tiwala ako na malayo pa ang mararating ng team namin. Basta hindi lang kami magbago kahit mag-champion na kami.”
