Some basketball players often feel lost when they are taken away from the game. They compete so hard so they can continue competing. For professional basketball players, there’s really only one perfect time to rest. It’s right after his team wins a championship. Any other ending is abrupt and unwelcome.
For Mark Barroca, disconnecting from competitive basketball is as easy as a making a wide open layup.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, a day before Game 4 of the Philippine Cup finals between the Talk ‘n Text Tropang Texters and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters commenced. Barroca, along with his wife Ruselle and their five-month-old baby Natalie Faith, were having lunch inside a Quezon City mall.
The San Mig point guard held their baby. Food was right in front of him but he refused to dig in just yet. He was waiting for Natalie’s yaya to finish eating before he did. To pass time, Barroca held his baby’s hand while singing a two-worded lyrical masterpiece.
“Close-open, close-open,” he sang but the baby refused to move.
Her father was persistent. “Huwag mong ipapahiya si daddy, anak, may bisita tayo,” he pleaded. Natalie finally relented, opening and closing her small hand to her father’s singing.
The father broke into a smile while enjoying his baby’s movements as his wife looked on. The couple looked happy, far from the situation they were in a few years back.
I tried asking about the FEU Tamaraws but Barroca was quick to stop me.
“Nakaraan na yun,” he said. “San Mig Coffee na lang yung pag-usapan natin,” he added.
Barroca’s San Mig Coffee Mixers were on vacation. They lost 4-2 to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. In Barroca’s perfect world, he would not be eating inside a mall at the very moment. He’d be inside a gym, sweaty from practice while watching tape of the Talk ‘n Text Tropang Texters.
What do you think about the Tropang Texters dominating the Elasto Painters? Do you think the Mixers could have put up a better fight? How about Jayson Castro? How do you stop a guy like that? Do you ever stop and wish that it was your Mixers challenging the Tropang Texters?
These were the questions I wanted to ask him but apparently he is not even remotely interested in watching the PBA finals.
“Yung asawa ko pa nga yung nagbabalita sa akin na 3-0 na daw yung lamang ng Talk ‘n Text,” Barroca said. “Siya rin yung nagsabi sa akin na hindi na si Denzel Bowles yung import namin next conference,” he added as he carefully handed their baby to his wife.
I would have thought he’d be intently following the series, licking his wounds, and sharpening his claws so he can come back stronger in the next conference. Apparently, Barroca is not like other players who punish themselves by watching someone else winning to make them hungrier for the next time. All the inspiration Barroca needed was right in front of him.
Barroca and his wife brought their baby to the hospital earlier that day for one of her scheduled shots. Ruselle said that Natalie didn’t cry while getting her shot. “Yung tatay pa nga yung natatakot,” she joked.
Baby Nat, as her parents sometimes call her, looks like every other five-month-old baby out there, except all the other babies have two months on her. Natali was born premature. She started life as an underdog. Much like her father.
The path to the PBA is long and arduous even for the most talented basketball players. It’s near impossible for a sub-six-feet guard from Zamboanga. Yet, Barroca made his way into the PBA and he makes it a point to make sure he’ll stay there for a long time.
“Hindi naman ako tumitigil magpakundisyon, nagtraining ako dun sa court malapit sa amin,” he said. He runs and shoots hoops to keep his body in condition while waiting to be called back for training. Barroca was doing all this extra work with a still swollen ankle. “Medyo namamaga pa rin pero kailangang pilitin,” he told me as he showed the ankle he injured in Game 4 of their series against Rain or Shine. “Medyo masakit pa pero di naman pwedeng magpakita ako sa training na wala sa kundisyon,” he added.
His work ethic has always been Barroca’s calling card. He knows there are point guards taller and faster than him and his only way of keeping in pace is by outworking them. This drive endeared him to most of his coaches. Former Smart Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman even labelled him as one of the hardest working players in Gilas and in the PBA today.
Back in college, there were days when he practiced thrice a day. He’ll practice with the FEU Tamaraws in the morning, with Harbour Centre in the afternoon, and with Smart Gilas at night. He even juggled that with college classes. “Sa sobrang pagod ko dati, tine-tape yung paa ko habang natutulog pa ako sa kama bago yung practice namin sa Gilas,” he shared.
The family then made their way out of the restaurant and into the mall to look for a baptismal dress for Natalie. Barroca, like every guy in history, wanted to buy the first dress that they saw. Ruselle, like every other girl in history, liked the dress but didn’t love it so they continued looking until they found the perfect dress for their princess.
In between stores, Barroca would find the time to chat more. He talked about how he loved playing alongside Joe Devance. “Pag kasama ko si Joe, pwede na akong mag-leak out kasi kaya niyang magdala yung bola at kahit sa half court alam niya talaga yung mga sets ni coach Tim [Cone],” he shared. Then he’d talk about looking for a piece of land he could invest it. He’d jump from the hardships of learning the Triangle System to the excitement about going home to Zamboanga so his family could finally see his baby in person.
During our entire conversation, it was never just about basketball and it was because it isn’t all about basketball for Mark Barroca. Basketball is not the end-goal. It’s just a way to provide a comfortable life for his family. He’s just puts so much into it because a long and fruitful career means a better life in the future.
Just before we parted for that day, he told me that although he was happy winning his first championship in the PBA, he felt that he didn’t contribute a lot during the run. “Sobrang saya nung nag-champion kami pero si Josh [Urbiztondo] pa yung main point guard nun. Sana magkaroon rin ako ng chance na gawin yun,” Barroca said.
Even the player himself could not have guessed what would happen next. A handful of days after he said that, the San Mig Coffee Mixers participated in a trade that cost them JC Intal, Aldrech Ramos, and Jonas Villanueva, the Mixers’ only point guard outside Barroca. It became clear that Cone is ready to hand over the reigns of his Triangle Offense to Barroca.
“Malungkot ako sa nangyari kasi parang kapatid na namin sila,” Barroca said after he heard of the trade. “Pero ganun talaga ang trabaho namin.”
In only his second year as a professional basketball player, Barroca will now be tasked run the offense for the San Mig Coffee Mixers while being in charge of defending the best guards of the opposing teams. On February 8, Barroca will officially assume the role of full-time starting point guard for the Mixers. Adding to the drama is the fact that they will be up against the Barako Bull Energy Cola, the current team of the two point guards the Mixers traded away to clear the path for Barroca.
There’s no time to shy away from the spotlight now. There’s nowhere to hide. It may have come too soon for the time is now for one Andy Mark Barroca. - OMG, GMA News
Meralco's Sol Mercado, left, and Kelly Nabong were shipped to Globalport for Rey Guevarra, Vic Manuel and Josh Vanlandingham while Talk 'N Text's wantaway center, Japeth Aguilar, and Rabeh Al-Hussaini traded places.Jerome Ascano
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