Troy Rosario fulfilled a dream on Wednesday. He won a championship with his boyhood team, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, after helping them to an 88-76 Game 7 win over the TNT Tropang 5G to clinch the PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown. The road to this dream title, though, was anything but smooth. It even took him to Blackwater Bossing, one of the PBA’s perennial bottom-feeders.
With the Bossing, Rosario couldn’t sniff a championship. He couldn’t even get to the quarterfinals. It was just a lot of losing. But for the soft-spoken former NU Bulldog, his Bossing detour was still a blessing, as it made him tougher as a player.
“Well, ‘yung road na ‘yun, isa ‘yun sa mga nagpatatag sa akin,” said Rosario, referring to his two-year stint with Blackwater. “Especially nung nasa Blackwater ako, so hindi kami nanalo ng mga games para umabot sa quarters, pero ‘yun ‘yung mga time na talagang nagpatibay sa akin. Saka nandoon ‘yung grit every day sa practice na everyday pupunta ka sa practice kahit alam mo na mahihirapan, pero lalaban.”
That grit showed against TNT. Rosario mostly held down the fort in the paint for Ginebra. He also had the unenviable task of covering prolific import Chris McCullough, who averaged 33.6 points in the championship. But Rosario made him work nonetheless.
Rosario Stays Positive
Even through all the losing, Rosario acknowledged that he still kept a positive mindset and continued to work as hard as he could. Then, when he became a free agent in 2024, the 6-foot-7 big man unsurprisingly chose to sign with Ginebra, fulfilling his dream to play for his favorite team.
“Mindset lang, having a positive mindset lang lagi. I know naman ‘yung capabilities ko and kung paano ako magtrabaho,” added Rosario, who averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the Finals and was among the contenders for Finals MVP, which Scottie Thompson ultimately won. “So, hindi na ako madodown kase alam kong paano ako maglaro eh, so napatunayan ko na siguro sa stint ko sa mga nauna kong teams and sa Gilas [Pilipinas].”
After all that, Troy Rosario is now a two-time PBA champion—and he is living his dream.
