Around this time last season, while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel was preparing for its title bid against Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Greg Slaughter sat quietly behind the team’s bench.
A 7-foot center, Slaughter was supposed to be the team’s tower of power. Instead a ACL injury he suffered the previous conference had reduced him to being Ginebra’s ‘tallest’ cheerleader.
Despite the void in the middle, Ginebra persevered and captured the title in six games, ending an eight-year wait for its ninth PBA trophy.
Winning another for Ginebra is Slaughter’s motivation.
And that also kept him on track to recovery, something he savors now the Kings are back in the finals – a first for the five-year PBA veteran.
“I’m happy to be in the finals, to be playing with these guys for just one goal, and that’s to win the title,” said Slaughter before the team’s first practice session Monday morning at The Upper Deck (TUD) Sports Center in Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig City.
Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, a disciple of the triangle offense that helped him scoop a record 19 titles, was able to insert his big guy in the center of the triple post rotation, providing the team the pivot from which to execute the system.
Slaughter responded with averages of 14.69 points, 8.75 rebounds and 1.63 shot blocks per game this conference.
