by Jonas Terrado
Stanley Pringle whipped a sharp pass to Scottie Thompson in the weak post to set up a Joe Devance layup during one offensive play Barangay Ginebra San Miguel tried to perfect during Wednesday’s practice in Ortigas.
On the following sequence, a broken play ended with Pringle draining a tough baseline shot over Japeth Aguilar, leaving a few fans who were able to sneak the practice facility amid tight security in awe and Devance shouting in ecstasy.
“Stanley Pringle! Stanley Pringle!”
The possibilities seemed endless for Ginebra after landing one of the PBA’s premier guards on Tuesday in a four-player trade with NorthPort.
While as disappointing as losing Sol Mercado, Kevin Ferrer and Jervy Cruz in order to close the deal, coach Tim Cone has already seen visions of promise with Pringle in tow.
“We try to envision something like Scottie bringing down the floor, having Justin (Brownlee) on the right side, having Stanley on the left side with the offense that he has and our big guys (Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar) running the floor,” Cone said after Pringle’s first session with his new team.
“There’s a lot of nice things to think about, hopefully that vision will be realized and we move forward and give it a chance to win a championship,” added Cone.
Pringle’s move after almost five stellar seasons with the Batang Pier puts him in a great position to form a dynamic backcourt duo with either Thompson or resident playmaker LA Tenorio or through small ball with the three on the same floor.
It also opens the door for Pringle’s best chance at finally winning his first championship, something that has eluded him since becoming the Batang Pier’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft.
