SAN Miguel Beer wingman Don Trollano thought he had an open layup in the fourth quarter last Wednesday night—until TNT big man Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser came out of nowhere and stymied the shot.
That vicious block was one of five huge swats by Ganuelas-Rosser that typified Tropang 5G coach Chot Reyes’ challenge to his wards in the do-or-die Game 5 of their best-of-7 finals clash with the Beermen.
“You know, early on, I just kind of let the game come to me. I was crashing the boards, making sure I was in the right position,” Ganuelas-Rosser said. “But like coach said, we just wanted to just leave it all out there.
“We’re down to the last week, the last couple of games. He just asked for 48 hard minutes, all hard and that’s what we did tonight,” he added.
Apart from his brilliance on the defensive end, the bull-strong, 6-foot-6 Ganuelas-Rosser took the cudgels for the grand slam-seeking TNT five with a team-high 18 points he paired with five rebounds and on top of three steals.
Putting the handcuff on reigning eight-time MVP and SMB ace center June Mar Fajardo and the rest of his teammates likewise served the Tropang 5G in good stead.
“I think limiting their points in the paint is something that we tried to focus on. We know June Mar is going to score, but when the others get downhill and they get in the paint, they are able to score and create,” the top pick overall in the 2022 Draft said. “So, I just wanted to be big, I wanted to be long. Just trying to affect shots and passes. That’s something that I think I can contribute. I was able to limit my fouls early, too.
“So, I was able to be more aggressive towards the end of the game.”
TNT intends to send the championship round to a game of no tomorrow tonight at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
With younger brother Jason showing up to support him, Ganuelas-Rosser has received an added motivation to reprise his heroics.
“I wanted him to come out earlier in the series, but flights got delayed and stuff. So, I really wanted him to see more than one game,” he said. “Now, we get to go to PhilSports. Seeing my family from the States, it’s always inspiring and extra motivation for sure.”
