Troy Rosario had just turned 26 years old on Saturday, so when he suited up for the TNT Katropa’s match versus the Meralco Bolts the next day, he made sure to churn out a performance that was a perfect birthday present for him and the team.
The six-foot-seven forward turned in a conference-best outing of 22 points on an excellent 8-of-13 shooting along with 10 rebounds to power the Texters to a masterful 99-81 victory over the Bolts at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“Parang na-extend yung birthday ko,” the third-year pro quipped. “Para sa’kin good year ito eh. Simula pa lang ng taon marami na kong blessings na natatanggap.
“Continue ko lang yung hard work na ginagawa ko kasi alam ko it will pay off anytime.”
“It’s just a product of Troy’s hard work,” said TNT head coach Nash Racela. “He takes a lot of shots before practice, and then even after practice, naiiwan talaga siya to take more shots.
“Not really surprised with the way he shot today.”
Rosario was averaging 13.25 points on 41.5 percent shooting prior to Sunday. But twice in their last four games, he only scored in single digits, which is why the former NU Bulldog aims to be consistent for TNT in their next games.
“I hope ma-sustain ko yung game na ganito,” said the second overall pick of the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft. “Yun din yung hinahanap sa’min ng coaches eh, yung consistency sa laro.
“‘Di yung akyat-baba, akyat-baba.”
“It’s nice that he shot well while celebrating his birthday, but he also needs to shoot well during other days. That’s how you become consistent,” seconded Racela. “We just have to look for consistency.”
It was a Sunday full of celebrations indeed for Rosario. Aside from his birthday, the Katropa had also earned their second straight win — their first winning streak in the 2018 Philippine Cup after a 1-2 start.
For the Gilas Pilipinas veteran, this mini streak of theirs is a result of him and the Katropa regaining their groove as a collective.
“Nakukuha na namin yung laro namin,” said the second overall pick in the 2015 Rookie Draft.
“Nagkakaamuyan na. Sa tingin ko malaki yung tsansa namin ngayong all-Filipino at iangat pa namin yung level ng laro namin.”
