Two faces of Tropang Texter victory

by Smart Speak Bulletin

March 3, 2009

Not too many probably know that Mark Reynan Mikesell Cardona (more popularly known as Mac-mac) started playing basketball in backyard courts of Mandaluyong, played varsity ball briefly for Carson High School in California, USA while staying with his mom, got rejected by two collegiate teams back in Manila, almost gave up basketball but was given the chance to play for two champion La Salle teams, and is now acclaimed as the best player in the PBA.

And not too many perhaps know that Jared Bautista Dillinger of Littleton, Colorado, USA learned his hoops rudiments in the comforts of a gym, actively played for the University of Hawaii Warriors (a US NCAA Division I team) where he was a starter in his last season, barely made an impact with Pampanga Buddies in the Liga Pilipinas, but is now one of the frontrunners in the best rookie race in the current PBA season.

Meet two faces of victory and two of the core that recently won for the Talk n Text Tropang Texters the all-Filipino crown in the PBA. Meet passion for excellence, hard work and intensity personified. Meet two true-blue ka-tropa who will give anything and everything each game in order to win.

Nicknamed Captain Hook because of his patented teardrop shots, the 27-year-old Cardona is a mean defender and one of very few players who can create, execute and complete a play with little help from his teammates. He is considered a triple threat on the court with his ability to assist, score from the outside and dribble out of harm’s way.

The six-foot-two slasher, probably the most prolific scorer in the professional league today, is also a doting father to 10-month-old daughter Sofia and a loving husband to Carissa. His no-nonsense brand of play and his intensity on the court make him one of the PBA’s current top favorites.

Ironically, Mac-mac is also one of the most booed players in the PBA, probably because of his intensity. But his ability to focus and his brave heart enable him to turn the heckling and the jeering into fuel for flashing his on-court brilliance.

Jared, on the other hand, is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc, and at six-foot-five, is a tall point guard who can create a lot of match-up headaches for opposing teams.

A tough competitor and versatile player who, in the words of coach Chot Reyes, is not afraid to get into the face of opponents and take risks, is also a very diligent student who spends hours taking extra shots during a shootaround, pumping iron in the gym, listening to coaches and studying videos. Even with a slipped disc, Jared missed only one game – a testimony to his never-say-die attitude which is the same winning mindset carried by all members of the Talk n Text team.

Both Mac-mac and Jared attribute the Tropang Texters’ championship win to solid teamwork where “each one accepts each other” and every member knows exactly what role to play on both the defensive and offensive ends. Both love to win and hate losing, each one possessing a level of intensity that has brought them to near-skirmishes during practice games.

Teamwork, incidentally, is one value that team owner Manny V. Pangilinan (the 2008 PSA Sports Patron of the Year awardee) demands from himself and those he works with in the organizations he leads – including SMART – particularly during crunch time.

It is also teamwork that brought Mac-mac and Jared, along with the rest of the Tropang Texters, to win the all-Filipino crown. And it is teamwork, honed by passion for excellence, hard work and intensity that carries Talk n Text and other winning teams to victory.