Troy Rosario was actually surprised when he was part of the team that will play against Japan during Gilas Pilipinas’ fourth game in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. After the hard fall he suffered last February 7, he did not actually know if and when he would be cleared to return for on-court activities.
“Sila pa nga unang nakaalam na cleared,” Rosario told Tiebreaker Times a day prior to the game. “Kaya nasurpresa talaga ako na nakasama ako sa kanila.”
Even if he had been inactive for close to 20 days, 26-year-old stretch forward remained ready, vowing to provide whatever he can when his number is called up.
And it came with 1:18 left in the first frame. During that time, Kiefer Ravena had just rallied Gilas back from a slow start, slicing the lead to just three, 19-22. The six-foot-seven forward was able to pick up a couple of buckets to close out the quarter and get his feel back.
That was just the beginning.
“Sobrang saya kasi hindi naman kahit second five kami, kami yung pupuno nung nagpahinga lang. Trinain pa rin naman kami para maglaro as a team,” added Rosario about the unit that featured Ravena, Calvin Abueva, June Mar Fajardo, and Roger Pogoy.
Rosario was unstoppable in the second quarter, scoring 10 more points while hauling down four rebounds during the entire 10-minute quarter.
Though he did not return during the second half, his effort helped Gilas to an 89-84 victory to advance to the next stage of the Qualifiers.
Besides the win, the former NU Bulldog was just glad to have done his job well.
“Di ko inexpect pero yun nga, walang himala kung hard work.
“Kasi yung mga score ko kanina more on pulot, kapag ako,” he shared.
