Barangay Ginebra San Miguel may have staved off a spirited Meralco Bolts squad in the quarters, but up next will be an equally formidable foe in the NorthPort Batang Pier.
And that squad will be led by someone very familiar to Tim Cone and Ginebra: Arvin Tolentino.
Back in 2022, Ginebra traded the then 25-year-old wing, along with Prince Caperal and Kent Salado, to NorthPort for the high-flying Jamie Malonzo in a trade that seems to have settled into a win-win. Malonzo played a starring role in Ginebra’s last championship in the Commissioner’s Cup of Season 47, while Tolentino has blossomed into a franchise player.
Now that Ginebra and Tolentino will get reacquainted with all-time high stakes, Cone couldn’t help but admit a tinge of regret that he signed off on trading the former FEU Tamaraw.
“Do I regret [trading Tolentino]? I certainly do,” Cone admitted to reporters after Ginebra’s Game 3 win over Meralco. “I certainly do regret it, but I think it was the best thing that ever happened for him in his career was that move to NorthPort.”
Cone Gives Tolentino the Ultimate Compliment
Prior to his admission, Cone only had glowing words for the Best Player of the Conference frontrunner, describing him as potentially Ginebra’s local Justin Brownlee had he not been traded.
“I always told him that he was our local Justin [Brownlee]. I expected him to be, to play like Justin eventually as he started to play his game because he could. He had a great mid-range game,” Cone said. “He had a great three-point shot. He could post up. He could put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He could create contact, and get fouls. So, you know, we had conversations, multiple conversations about him being, you know, being able to play like Justin.”
Tolentino proved as much when the Batang Pier beat Ginebra in the eliminations, firing 29 points on triples, middies, and drives.
But back then with Ginebra, Tolentino was the young stud in a team full of veterans running the equal-opportunity offense that is the Triangle. And that meant it would take a little more time for Tolentino to fully realize his immense potential.
Then, the Tolentino-for-Malonzo swap happened, and the rest is history.
“I told him when he was traded back then, this is going to be an opportunity for you to really go out and spread your wings, stretch your game… He’s been able to go to North Port and establish himself. Kudos to him, I’m real proud of him and what he’s been able to achieve,” Cone added.
Now, Tolentino will likely be Cone’s biggest headache as Ginebra takes on NorthPort in a best-of-seven.
