For a team that hasn’t had much success, a win against a top-tier team is reason enough to feel good. And former PBA No. 1 overall pick Sedrick Barefield knows this all too well. The dynamic Fil-Am has seen his fair share of losing with the Blackwater Bossing, especially against the league’s all-time winningest franchise, the San Miguel Beermen.
That all changed on Wednesday night, when Barefield and the rest of the Bossing pulled off a 126-120 stunner over the two-time PBA Philippine Cup champions.
“Those guys have been at the top of the top. They know what it’s like to win, they know what it takes to win,” Barefield said. “A lot of the guys have had careers that you dream of having in the PBA, so that was kind of the motivation today—to go out there and compete with those guys and perform.”
It Wasn’t Just a Regular Game—Sedrick Barefield
Sedrick Barefield is right. San Miguel has long been one of the yardsticks of success in local hoops. And the Beermen’s back-to-back all-Pinoy titles speak to that unequivocally. So, forgive Barefield and his Bossing if they treated their date with San Miguel with utmost urgency.
“For us it wasn’t just a regular game,” Barefield bared. “I think we all woke up ready to play today.”
No one was more ready than Sedrick Barefield. The 29-year-old guard played over 42 minutes; had 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists; and controlled the game in the fourth quarter, pouring in 11 in the final frame while also orchestrating the offense.
The Pat Aquino Effect?
Barefield’s complete game against the mighty Beermen is arguably one of his very best in the PBA so far. And he’s crediting new coach Pat Aquino for it.
“Coach Pat gives me the ultimate confidence, but at the same time, he tells me when to be smart. He gets on me when I need to be doing something better,” Barefield said of Aquino, who has been doing the same for the rest of the Bossing, according to the Fil-Am guard. “So, for me to be able to play through those four quarters…it means a lot to me, and it helped us close the game out.”
Sedrick Barefield and his merry band of Bossing closed out San Miguel, all right. And now they’ve pumped some life into their sagging PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign.
In other words, they’re starting to believe—just as Aquino wants it.
