Stemming the tide at Terrafirma

It hasn’t been exactly a joyride for Terrafirma since joining the PBA in 2014-15. In 21 of 22 conferences, the Dyip failed to advance beyond the eliminations with the 2015-16 Governors Cup the only exception when the team barged into the quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat advantage but lost two in a row to Meralco. Terrafirma started out as Kia Sorento then Kia Carnival, Mahindra Enforcer, Mahindra Floodbuster, Kia Picanto and Columbian Dyip before metamorphosing into its current tag in the 2020 Philippine Cup.

As Terrafirma, the squad has compiled a record of 12-66 over seven conferences or a winning clip of 15.4 percent. Through the years, the franchise has tried out different coaches in search of the right man for the job, starting with Manny Pacquiao then moving to Chris Gavina, Ricky Dandan and Johnedel Cardel. Drafting players to beef up the lineup has been a hit-or-miss process and among the picks who were eventually traded or released or left unsigned were Troy Rosario, Brad Guinto, Mike DiGregorio, Russel Escoto, CJ Perez, Roosevelt Adams, Jordan Heading, Joshua Munzon, James Laput and Jeremiah Gray.

Despite the pains of losing, Terrafirma is far from hoisting the white flag. In last year’s draft, the team reeled in Stephen Holt, Kemark Carino, Louie Sangalang and Tommy Olivario. Cardel let go of Taylor Miller and Ed Daquioag in the offseason and kept Juami Tiongson, Gelo Alolino, JP Calvo, Kevin Ferrer, Andreas Cahilig, Isaac Go, Eric Camson, Aldrech Ramos, Javi Gomez de Liano and Allen Mina.

While Tiongson has been the main man for Terrafirma since 2019 after checking in from previous stints with Blackwater and NLEX, Cardel is now able to brandish a double-edged sword with Holt. Last Saturday, Holt wasn’t supposed to play against Blackwater because of a bad back but showed up anyway to deliver 21 points. Tiongson drilled in the marginal triple to win it, 92-91 as Cardel unraveled a formula that could trigger a reversal of fortunes. A collective effort did the trick and even as Tiongson and Holt combined for 41 points, the victory wouldn’t have happened without the contributions of Go (17 points), Sangalang (eight), Gomez de Liano (six), Alolino (six), Carino (five) and the rest of the Dyip drivers.

Of course, it’s too early to predict a breakout although Terrafirma’s 3-2 start is a positive. It could’ve been 4-1 if not for the three-point heartbreaking loss to TNT. In the Blackwater game, Cardel made risky adjustments that proved critical down the stretch. Holt took over as point guard and defended RK Ilagan in a size mismatch with Tiongson playing off-the-ball. Gomez de Liano, who’s averaging 14 points off the bench, was unleashed in the payoff quarter where he scored all his points and finished with a game-high +12 efficiency. Go notched six points in the final period. Blackwater led by two and had a foul to give when Tiongson knocked down the clinching triple.

The win was more significant as it marked the PBA’s return to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum after four decades. PBA vice chairman and Terrafirma governor Bobby Rosales said it was a sentimental homecoming. “This is the area where I grew up watching Yco-Ysmael Steel, Meralco-Crispa and Toyota-Crispa,” said Rosales. “I know Rizal Memorial like the palm of my hand.”