Troy Rosario was holding his baby daughter Zoey while answering media queries at the hallway of the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night when import Joshua Smith came by and greeted the five-month-old with playful gestures.
Smith had just helped TNT KaTropa tie the best-of-7 series for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown at 2-2 with a 102-97 victory, so he was in a good mood to practice a bit of his parenting skills.
“Trying to get used to it,” Smith told the Bulletin as he waited for news back in Texas, where his girlfriend Kristy is expected to give birth to their first-born daughter anytime soon.
Becoming a father is something that has inspired Smith to carry on in what has been a trying stint for him in this part of the world. The 6-foot-10 center from Seattle has defied an injured right foot to put the KaTropa two wins shy of capturing the title of the midseason conference.
In Game 4, Smith dominated June Mar Fajardo and fellow American Charles Rhodes in the paint and locked horns with Arwind Santos during a fourth quarter dustup on his 20 points and 15 rebounds, giving TNT the victory.
Smith hurt his foot during Game 3 of TNT’s semifinal series with Barangay Ginebra, but kept playing despite chances that the KaTropa may go with standby import Mike Myers.
