Player-of-week honors bitter sweet for Ranidel

The experience may have been bittersweet. But for Ranidel de Ocampo, it is all part of the job.

That’s how the KFC/Accel PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period Dec. 22-28 reasoned when asked about his game-winner over his former team, Air21, that helped shove his new Talk N Text crew into the Philippine Cup semifinals.

“Masaya at malungkot, pero trabaho lang,” stated the 27-year-old forward after his 19-footer went in at the buzzer to lift Tropang Texters to a 109-108 cliffhanger last Christmas Day.

“Masaya dahil nakatulong ako sa bago kong team at malungkot din dahil nakuha namin ang panalo at the expense of my former team,” added the man who was drafted fourth overall by the Express in the 2004 Rookie Draft.

The win was TNT’s 11th against seven losses, pushing it to the company of early qualifier Alaska, the 18-game eliminations’ top team with a 12-6 slate, into the semis.

The shot capped an 18-point and career-high-tying 16-rebound night for De Ocampo, who was acquired from Air21 in exchange for Don Carlos Allado and a 2012 first round pick last Dec. 16.

For Texters coach Chot Reyes, the trade was well worth it.

“His stats and game-winner speak for themselves,” said Reyes, “but more importantly, with him we now have a legitimate closer.”

Coincidentally, the play in the last 2.1 seconds that got the ball to the usually poker-faced, 6-foot-6 forward was not the result of a broken play.

“By some sheer twist of providence, we ran the same exact play for Ranidel in practice (on Wednesday),” related Reyes after the game, referring to a series of plays especially designed for the former national team mainstay.

“Little did we know that we will find ourselves in the same situation. That’s why we knew exactly what to do.”

Now the Texters are in a position everybody had initially wanted to be in, enjoying a two-week break while the other survivors slug it out in the wildcard and quarterfinals.