The last six days had been a roller-coaster for Robert Bolick.
Just a week ago, the 30-year-old guard from Ormoc City had led Gilas Pilipinas Men past host Thailand, overcoming a hostile crowd and one-sided calls to give the country its 20th men’s basketball crown at the Southeast Asian Games.
But upon returning to NLEX, Bolick faced a harsh reality — the Road Warriors were set to face a twice-to-beat San Miguel in the 2025–26 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
“Sarap ng feeling mo dun tapos natapat champion e, ang hirap. Wala e, ganun talaga,“ he told reporters on Wednesday evening.
In the early stages of the game, Bolick and NLEX kept pace with San Miguel, even leading 53–47 at halftime.
But in an instant, the Beermen turned the tide.
With June Mar Fajardo and Don Trollano leading the charge, San Miguel went on a 21–2 run that completely shifted the momentum.
Bolick gave it his all, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block. Still, the defending champions’ firepower proved too much.
“Wala e. San Miguel ang nakatapat, hirap na hirap kami kay June Mar. At least lumaban kami. Hindi pa namin ma-stop si June Mar at hindi pa namin ma-stop yung iba kaya nahirapan talaga kami. Lumayo nung third quarter, hindi na namin mahabol,” Bolick lamented.
NLEX, one of the first teams to clinch a quarterfinal berth, had multiple opportunities to secure a twice-to-beat advantage.
However, the Road Warriors lost their last three games — a 98–82 defeat to Magnolia, a 119–100 loss to TNT, and a 107–95 overtime defeat to Converge, the last two without Bolick.
A 97–91 upset loss to Terrafirma in only the second game of the season also proved pivotal.
“Dami naming opportunity mag-twice-to-beat, yung Terrafirma game, yung Converge game. Sayang yun e para lalo sa team na tulad namin na kailangan namin ang twice-to-beat. Sila, puwede sila, kaya nilang talunin kahit sino sa amin,” said the 2024 scoring champion.
“Yan yung mga bagay na hindi namin dapat pinapakawalan.”
Despite another quarterfinals exit, Bolick’s spirits remain high. After all, the SEA Games gold medal and everything he went through to earn it are memories he will carry for life.
“Iba yun, hindi namin makakalimutan yun. Daming pinaghirapan din dun, hindi lang kami kung hindi pati SBP, coaching staff sa pagbuo pa lang ng lineup. Lima o anim na practice lang kami tapos isang beses lang kami nakumpleto,” the Gilas captain said.
“Nasiraan pa kami ng bus, ang dami nangyari dun, tapos hindi pa pinapasok mga Pilipino, bad calls, pero nanalo pa rin kami kaya sulit.”
And for allowing him to represent the country, Bolick vows to make it up to NLEX in the next two conferences.
