A big reason the San Miguel Beermen escaped the Magnolia Hotshots on Friday for their fourth straight win in the PBA Philippine Cup was Don Trollano. The veteran sniper finished with a game-high 29 points in just 19 minutes on an ultra-efficient 11-for-16 clip from the field. He also hit what turned out to be the game’s marginal basket—a booming four-point shot from the top of the key with 53 seconds remaining in regulation.
Trollano’s four-pointer was part of San Miguel’s 14-4 windup to finish the game after Magnolia had taken an 86-80 lead just past the three-minute mark. It also came with the Beermen still down, 88-87, and in need of a basket with June Mar Fajardo largely contained, CJay Perez struggling, and Juami Tiongson out of rhythm. Needless to say, it was the game’s biggest bucket. But, for Trollano himself, it was just a matter of being open at the right time and at the right place.
“Nakita ko open ako, then nakita ko parang wala na ring oras… kumpiyansa lang ba,” Trollano said after he was asked about that clutch basket in the postgame presser.
Now, Don Trollano wasn’t entirely accurate about the time winding down. But he sure was open, and he sure looked confident when he pulled the trigger—never mind if a miss could’ve meant San Miguel losing in heartbreaking fashion.
The Four-Pointer Is Something Don Trollano Has in His Bag
From the looks of it, Leo Austria isn’t at all surprised at Trollano taking—and making—those four-pointers, mostly because he knows the Catanduanes native works on that shot specifically in practice.
“That four-point shot, hindi na ko magtataka dahil during practice namin, he keeps on taking the four-point shot. Even when we were in Adamson, talagang malayo range niya, and then he keeps on practicing that kind of shot,” shared Austria, who was Trollano’s coach when the latter played for the Adamson Falcons in the UAAP.
It doesn’t mean Austria is always happy with Trollano’s shot selection from that distance. In fact, he admitted he sometimes gets angry at the 33-year-old veteran for taking early four-pointers. But, according to the champion coach, that marginal long bomb gets a pass because it was absolutely necessary and had an obvious sense of urgency.
That Don Trollano made the shot certainly helped. Then again, he can actually make those long balls.
