Porter to return

Barangay Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen said the other day he’ll recall import Chris Porter if given the chance in a future Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) conference.

Porter, who once played for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA), replaced Sean Lampley with two games left in the double-round classifications and led the Kings to 6-4 record the rest of the way.

"He can still play in the NBA," said Tanquingcen. "Sure, he misses free throws sometimes but you can’t get a perfect import because the perfect import is playing in the NBA. He never complained. He’s a workhorse. He earned the respect of his teammates. I wouldn’t hesitate to bring him back."

Ginebra bowed out of contention in the Fiesta Conference after losing an 83-79 decision to Red Bull in Game 7 of their semifinal series at the Big Dome last Sunday. Some 16,400 fans watched the close contest which went down to the wire. Red Bull settled the outcome as Celino Cruz and James Penny drained triples in the final minute.

Aside from Porter, Tanquingcen paid tribute to Eric Menk and Mike Holper for their contributions.

"Eric came back from his one-game suspension with determination," said Tanquingcen. "He worked very hard to get back on track. His parents and sister are in town and I’m sure he would’ve wanted them to see us play in the finals. As for Mike, I’m convinced he’s going to be part of the future foundation of our team. We think highly of him and he’s a smart player."

With Andy Seigle out for at least six months due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee, Tanquingcen said he’ll be on the lookout for a big man to fill the gap.

"Not too many appreciate what Andy does for our team," said Tanquingcen. "He’s a big man who can clog up the middle. He brings a lot of intensity to our game and plays tough defense. We don’t need to double at the low post if Andy’s on the floor."

Tanquingcen said there’s nothing to be ashamed of in losing to Red Bull.

"We accept the loss," he went on. "In Game 7, Red Bull beat us with two three-pointers down the stretch. You’ve got to give them credit. We played our guts out. I’m proud of the guys. Basketball is a great teacher of life. We can’t control the result of a game but we can control the effort we put in. We tried our best but sometimes, things don’t happen the way you plan it."

Tanquingcen said the Red Bull series could’ve gone either way.

"We could’ve been up 3-1 instead of them," said Tanquingcen. "In Game 2, Penny hit two three-pointers to win it. We were up in Game 4 near the end but we still lost. If we won Games 2 and 4, we would’ve been up 3-1. I told the guys when we were down 1-3 that we’ve all had our trials in life, that being down shouldn’t stop us from keeping going, from trying hard to get back, from persevering. God has His own way of challenging us to make us stronger. It’s hard to understand what God has in mind for us. But we should never lose faith."

Tanquingcen said he’ll never be able to guarantee a win in every game but he assured Ginebra’s multitude of fans that the team will always play hard, will always play to win and will never say die.

After the consolation game against Air21 for third place tonight, Tanquingcen said the team will take a one to a 1 1/2 week break before regrouping to practice for the next conference opening on March 4.

Tanquingcen said backcourt stars Mark Caguioa and Jay-Jay Helterbrand deserve the rest. Caguiao played hurt in the Red Bull series because of a painful hamstring and Tanquingcen said the Spark was only up to 60 percent capacity while Helterbrand pushed himself to the limit after a grueling grind that began with playing several international tournaments for the national team last summer.

Tanquingcen said Romel Adducul, Rodney Santos, Aris Dimaunahan and Mark Macapagal also performed beyond the call of duty in the semifinals.

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