DUBAI — Jordon Varnado and Meralco heard all the criticisms thrown their way and the whole team took it personally, from the looks of it.
The seasoned winger couldn’t be any prouder of the statement that the Bolts issued on Sunday night after stunning Utsunomiya to ultimately seal a quarterfinal berth in the Basketball Champions League Asia 2025.
“It means a lot to me and to our team because I feel like a lot of people doubted us since we’re a team from the Philippines,” he offered during the postgame presser of their 97-86 win at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall here.
Some fans and pundits alike have been critical of Meralco, most especially after it bowed to Shabab Al Ahli on opening night last Saturday, a game in which the crew squandered an 11-point lead it built during the second chapter.
Coach Nenad Vucinic himself admitted that cohesion was an issue, with Varnado and their two other reinforcements in John Egbunu and Glynn Watson having joined the Bolts literally days before the tournament.
And it did not help, too, that the MVP Group-owned franchise has been playing with an all-Filipino lineup for months now, with the PBA currently in its Philippine Cup conference – thus the recalibration of sorts with their scheme of things.
(C) FIBA
“It was difficult for us to get some cohesion because we were just joined by three players–at the moment we’re playing in the Philippines without any foreign player,” Vucinic, Meralco’s active consultant, said last Saturday.
“We got three good players, but it’s very hard to get cohesion,” he added. “We’re hoping as the tournament goes that we’re gonna get better.”
But the Bolts managed to turn things around in just a span of 24 hours. After the aforementioned trio did much of the lifting against the hosts, the locals were more assertive against the 2024-25 B.League champions.
Chris Banchero, for one, finished with 17 points. Cliff Hodge, on the other hand, came through with 16 points as the duo was a combined +35.
Raymond Almazan was as significant as well in the triumph as he contributed eight points and five rebounds, his Gilas experience coming in handy.
Making it all the more impressive was the fact that the Bolts pulled off the victory even as Chris Newsome only had four points, although his presence was still felt with five rebounds and three assists — plus his defense, of course.
Thus, the satisfaction on the part of Varnado that Meralco was able to hush the critics and the naysayers by beating their more celebrated counterparts.
“They don’t give us a lot of credit,” offered the BCL Europe veteran, who registered 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
“But we came out here and fought, and battled tonight and last night. It’s a good feeling right now. We just gotta continue to fight through these quarterfinals.”
Meralco finished Group B with a 1-1 record, and Vucinic could only breathe a sigh of relief that he and his wards got the job done of advancing to the quarters instead of waiting for the other games’ results to learn their fate.
“We wanted to make the quarterfinals. We were worried, honestly, about losing this game. There was a big chance that we wouldn’t make it,” he said.
“It was a very difficult game for us. It was a pressure game. But I think we showed that we can perform under pressure,” Vucinic added.
