Last Sunday night, sister teams San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra made their moves to fortify their bid for a seat in the quarterfinal round of the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
It was, too, one memorable evening for Beerman Arwind Santos and Gin King LA Tenorio, who both achieved another milestones in their storied pro-career that made them head and shoulder above their equals.
Santos, drafted by Air 21 in the 2006 season, became the eighth player in league’s 44-year history to block 800 enemy shots in that nine year-stretch to, likewise, emerge as the first among active players to have done so.
Tenorio, on the other hand, played his 596 consecutive games since picked up by the San Miguel Beer franchise, also in 2006, tying the same number of appearances of Alvin Patrimonio in a 17-year playing career with Purefoods until his retirement in 2005.
The now Gin Kings playmaker and scorer stands to break “The Captain’s” record kin Ginebra’ s next outing on March 20 against another sister club Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok, following the Kings” 100-97 conquering of Phoenix Pulse lonk the same evening.
Santos, the league’s MVP in 2013, stopped NorthPort rookie Robert Bolick’s drive somewhere in the third quarter in the Beermen’s 113-107 win that allowed him to join an elite group PBA big man in the pro-league’s best defender
Santos complemented June Mar Fajardo’s monster game of 40 points and 19 rebounds with another brilliant display of defensive game in the Beermen’s victory over NorthPort Batang Pier that Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The pride of Lubao town in Pampanga, thus, joined slotmen Ramon Fernandez, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, Manny Victorino, Benjie Paras, Jerry Codinera, and Marlou Aquino, all retired in that elite list of able defenders.
Despite achieving he milestone, Santos believes SMB has turned corner from a 0-3start of the season to this present four-game winning run and his feat only serves as a bonus.
“Siyempre kapag kailangan ng stops, kailangan ding manalo. Nakaka-block ka nga ng shots, natatalo naman ang team. Mas maganda nga ang nangyari na nanalo kami,” he asserted,
The former Far Eastern University King Tamaraw epressed belief he can still reach the 900-block plateau within the next three seasons.
Like Santos, Tenorio looks forward to breaking Patrimonio’s record and crown himself the league’s new “Iron Man.”
“All the hard work, the discipline, all the sacrifices nagbubunga. Siyempre sana ‘di lamang dito matapos ito,” Tenorio said. “It doesn’t matter ilan na as long as I can play, I’ll play.”
