In the past, whenever someone brings up a topic about the San Sebastian Golden Stags, the automatic answer would be everyone’s admiration from do-it-all forward Calvin Abueva. Just merely watching him, he is just a simply a cannon ball of energy that never stops running. Complimented with his fellow Kapampangan teammates Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual, you just can’t help but to shout “Bravo Baste” when those three players enter the court.
But all good things come to an end with the trio moving up the pro ranks. They surely left a lasting impact on their alma mater especially with their mantra of outworking the opposition in every possible way. They may be gone, but the current Golden Stags in the ongoing NCAA basketball tournament surely lived up to their workhorse label and one of those players is graduating big man Bradwyn Guinto.
By merely looking at him, you can easily say that he is undersized and he can easily get bullied in the paint by taller and stronger big men despite his muscular stature. However, knowing that the Stags will give it their best shot in facing tougher opponents, Guinto has never backed down from any daunting task. As a matter fact, he has consistently manned the middle for San Sebastian this season despite dropping from a potential Final Four contention.
“Siyempre I wanted to be in the Final Four but parang hanggang dito na lang kami. It’s like I want to go [now to the PBA] but I don’t really want to go [away from Baste yet],” Smart Elite ambassador Guinto told Tiebreaker Times when asked about his thoughts on his final year with San Sebastian. “I’ve been here since I arrived in the Philippines. That’s all I’ve known: playing for Baste and the culture of Baste.”
Recently, Guinto once again led the way as the Golden Stags got their payback win against defending champion San Beda last Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Arena. During that game, Guinto almost had a double-double as he dropped 26 points and 9 rebounds.
“[One of my favorite moments of the season is] itong game na ito since it is the first time we’ve won against San Beda,” he added.
With only a few games remaining, San Sebastian will now just play it out until their season ends. For Guinto, who was drafted by the Mahindra Enforcers in the second round of the 2015 PBA Draft, he will surely miss playing in the atmosphere of collegiate basketball. Like many athletes before him, playing for the glory of your alma mater will be one of the best moments of a player’s journey.
“[I] just to win as many games as possible para maging proud ang school sa amin,” he ended.
