Patrick Gardner was already a week into his offseason, only to find himself flying to Manila after signing with a Meralco team hoping to upend TNT in the ongoing PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
The American-Egyptian big man was brought in to replace Marvin Jones after the Bolts lost to an all-Filipino Tropang 5G back in Game 3 last Sunday.
And this stint not only offers an experience to compete in Asia’s pioneering pro league, but a chance as well to get the ending he couldn’t have in Japan a few weeks ago.
“I don’t wanna lose in the championship again,” he said Wednesday night, moments after leading his new team to a 101-90 victory in Game 4 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum to tie things up two games apiece in their series.
Gardner and his Fukushima Firebonds made their way to the B.League Division 2 Finals for an opportunity to earn promotion to B1, only to get swept by the Kobe Storks in their best-of-3 series just last May 17.
That, of course, left a bitter taste in the 26-year-old’s mouth. But days after that, he’d get a call from Meralco, which had just pulled the trigger on a switch after Ismail Romero’s replacement struggled to deliver against import-less sides.
He hopped on the plane and, eventually, the 2025 All-Basketball Africa League First Team member with Petro de Luanda landed in the country, a place familiar to him thanks to the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023.
(C) PBA Images
The Egyptian men’s team standout would be the first to admit that it’s never easy joining a team in the middle of a playoffs, let alone the semis. At the same time, he understands that it’s simply part of their job as pro hoopers.
“Of course you’d want to play with the team the whole season, but this is what professional basketball is like. And you always just gotta be ready for the next opportunity and try to gel as best as you can in a short timeframe,” he said.
With a chance to get the gold this time outside of Japan, Gardner showed promise right away. He played a crucial role in Meralco’s equalizing win by finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
It would’ve been better had he not fouled out with less than four minutes left, but his squad still got the win. And that’s what matters most for the former NBA G-League player with Long Island.
“I’m just happy we won the game, ultimately. It’s my first game here … I think I had a good game, had six fouls, so that wasn’t good. But it’s a learning curve,” he offered.
“So I’m just here to keep learning and keep getting better.”
Moving ahead, it would be all about jelling and refinement between Gardner and Meralco, especially now that they have reduced the all-MVP semis to a virtual best-of-3 following Wednesday’s important win.
“I’m here to do what the team wants, so whatever they need me to do, I wanna be able to adjust for them and ultimately try to win the championship,” he said.
