Stanley Pringle got himself the warmest of welcomes from the whole Barangay.
The reigning scoring champion played his first game for Ginebra on Sunday night. He immediately showed the ways he can provide for his new team, as he made a significant contribution to the Gin Kings’ 100-85 decimation of the NLEX Road Warriors.
Fielded in as a starter by head coach Tim Cone, Pringle produced 16 points on 60-percent shooting from the field. He also had eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the 35 minutes and 49 seconds he saw action.
“Oh, it’s great! Wonderful experience.
“Great group of guys, great team, great coaching staff. I’m just glad they all welcomed me, coached me, and helped me get along the whole time,” expressed the 32-year-old guard of his first game as a Gin King, where he was showered with adoration and cheers by a pro-Ginebra crowd that trooped and sold out the Batangas City Coliseum.
Pringle then credited his new teammates for helping him adjust to Ginebra, who let go of three players – veteran cogs Jervy Cruz and Sol Mercado and third-year forward Kevin Ferrer – to acquire him.
“They’ve been helping me in practices since I’ve been here from day one,” he said. “If it wasn’t for them… Everybody, the whole time, just teaching me everything about the team, about offense and defense, so it was really easy.”
Thanks to Pringle, the defending champs have won back-to-back games in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Now that his time as a ka-Barangay has begun, the top pick of the 2015 Draft vows to help Ginebra as best as he can.
“It’s a great organization, a great fanbase. I’m just here to help the team be the best team they can be, and just help the team however I can help them.”
