As tragedy envelopes local basketball world, Ginebra, TNT take time to grieve with deceased Ateneo players’ families, then return to PBA Finals floor

The Ginebra defense has given TNT import Chris McCullough (with ball) all sorts of problems in the Finals. —PBA IMAGES

Barangay Ginebra and TNT are in the middle of a heated battle for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title, but that doesn’t mean that the bitter rivals can’t take time out to grieve with the rest of this basketball-loving nation.

Chot Reyes, the coach of the defending champion Tropang 5G, and Alfrancis Chua, the Gin Kings’ representative to the league board, are two of the most fiery personalities in the PBA. But even they took time out to pay their respects to the families of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, the Blue Eagles who drowned in a supposed training exercise in a team-building camp in Aurora on Monday.

“A surreal feeling walking into this place where I used to see Divine almost every day,” wrote Reyes on his Instagram account as he made his way into the Blue Eagle gym, which Ateneo and TNT share as a practice facility. “Rest in Peace and prayers to his and Rene’s families.”

Chua, on the other hand, took to Facebook and demanded justice for the young players.

“Ang gusto lang ng dalawang bata magbasketball, nasira pangarap nila (Those kids only wanted to play basketball, and their dreams are now gone),” said Chua in a post with an attached photo that said, “We Want Justice.”

And the best local player of the series—and arguably the conference—RJ Abarrientos, also shared a photo of Adili and Baterbonia with a praying emoji.

A cinch for BPC

All of them will have to put the incident and their thoughts for the families of the Ateneo players behind on Wednesday, when Abarrientos leads the Ginebra bid for a commanding 3-1 lead over TNT in the best-of-seven series.

But before things get underway at 7:35 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Abarrientos is expected to be named the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) for the way he made leaps and bounds as one of the Gin Kings’ main men.

That will certainly be a proud moment not for him, but for uncle Johnny Abarrientos, who has kept a close eye on the flashy guard ever since he was brought in to be part of Tim Cone’s coaching staff.

“I think what helped him was putting extra work in the skills that he’s doing and embracing where he is now,” the elder Abarrientos told the Inquirer before Game 3 last Sunday when Ginebra won, 116-102, to retake the series advantage.

“Last year, he was coming off the bench for coach Tim,” Johnny said. “Now, he’s given more responsibilities and the outcome has been very good for him. He’s embraced the value that coach Tim gave him, being a prime point guard from coming off the bench.”

His play and Ginebra’s current position has made the coronation a mere formality for Abarrientos, who will win the award over NLEX’s Robert Bolick, San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo, Phoenix’s Ricci Rivero and Jerrick Ahanmisi, who played for Terrafirma this conference before being shipped to the Beermen during the playoffs.

Apart from Cone’s trust, some felt that the arrival of his “Tito Johnny” has somewhat played a key part in his progress.

Of course, comparisons between young and old are unavoidable, and the 1996 PBA Most Valuable Player acknowledges that. But Johnny also knows that there are other facets that RJ can still work on.

“I told him that he needs to focus more on defense. It’s unfair to him because he’s being hunted for mismatches every game,” Johnny said. “Not just one game, but every game. That’s where the respect comes from. You need to earn the respect of your fans.

“Because your gift is on the opposite side of defense. You need to give him more attention because it’s all technique,” the elder Abarrientos said. “He’s not as quick as me, as what people would compare. People have different skills and abilities, but for him, he understands that. And RJ being a hardworking player is a reason why he’s leveling up.”

Abarrientos and perceived Best Import winner Justin Brownlee, along with Scottie Thompson and a rejuvenated Stephen Holt are going to be key for Ginebra in its hope of putting a stranglehold on the Finals.

But TNT is also eager to put the series back on level terms, with Calvin Oftana looking to atone for his two-point showing in Game 3. INQ