In case the TNT Tropang 5G make a big run all the way to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown, let it be known that Bol Bol might have been the engine that drove it.
Bol Inspires TNT
After TNT’s pulsating 77-75 victory over the Meralco Bolts on Sunday, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Chot Reyes revealed how Bol inspired the Tropa with one heartfelt message—mostly because it was about the team and not about him.
“We’re in constant touch. And I said, ‘So, Bol, how are you?’ And I was expecting him to talk about his injury, but Bol’s text to me, this is verbatim: ‘I’m just disappointed, coach, that I’m not there with you throughout the playoffs because I really felt we had a good chance to win the championship.’ That’s for him [Game 3]. He’s not thinking about his future, his career. He’s just regretting that he’s not with us.”
“I read that message to the guys before the game. And I said that, you know, there’s something that is greater here than just basketball. It’s really our relationships, our bond with each other.”
Indeed, TNT looked every bit a title contender in Bol’s last three complete games—all of which were wins. Then, in an all-important Game 3, the Tropa showed championship grit and poise thanks to an inspirational assist from their fallen import.
Taking the Race to the Finish Line
Ganuelas-Rosser, who hit a couple of huge baskets in TNT’s Game 3 win, highlighted that bond in the same postgame presser, calling Bol a “brother” and dedicating the victory to him as well.
“It’s really disappointing losing Bol, losing our teammate, losing our brother,” he said. “Coach said that he messaged him and said he really wanted to be out here. So we wanted to go out there and dedicate the game to him and play for him. He carried us here, so hopefully he can bring us across the finish line—we can finish the job.”
In 16 games before tearing his Achilles in Game 2, Bol averaged a league-best 35.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, and an unheard-of 3.9 blocks. He also seemed to be developing an undeniable synergy with the rest of the Tropa, with RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, and Jayson Castro all starting to pick things up on offense.
Now, with their brother down. Pogoy, BGR, and company are to finish what he started.
