Joshua Munzon would be the first to admit that he can get demanding at times, now that he’s taken the lead role for the upstart Titan Ultra.
But all that, the star winger clarified, is part of his desire to get the best out of his fellow Giant Risers to put their maiden PBA campaign on the right track in this ongoing Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
“I’m just passionate,” he explained. “I just care. I just want to win. That’s it. That’s something I care about.
“Winning means a lot to me … That’s it.”
Beyond being vocal, he prefers to lead by example, just as he did on Wednesday in their eventual 102-98 win over Blackwater.
There, the 31-year-old finished with 25 points on top of four rebounds and the same number of assists. And he spearheaded their strong finish to prevent the Bossing’s comeback attempt after being down by as many as 20 points.
(C) PBA Images
He scored 19 of his points in the second half, six of which he produced to power their crucial 8-2 run to widen their lead to 102-94 with 1:29 to go.
That included a booming four to cap off the rally, which doused the Bossing’s rally spearheaded by Sedrick Barefield and Robert Upshaw.
“He’s a professional,” lauded head coach Rensy Bajar, acknowledging the brand of leadership of the former top 3×3 player in the country.
“He gave us this win tonight.”
Munzon has become the de facto face of the new team after Calvin Abueva’s trade prior to the midseason tilt. It was a role also handled by Arvin Tolentino when the franchise was still owned by and known as NorthPort.
From playing second fiddle to those former BPCs, last season’s Most Improved Player is now front and center of a squad seeking relevance in Asia’s pioneering pro league. And he has fully embraced this.
“Just trying to lead by example, trying to do the right things on offense and on defense,” he said.
“That’s my style of leadership, and sometimes I might come off aggressive. But it’s all basketball; a passionate player, that’s it.”
