#mark barroca

The PBA has set this novel All-Star format to help Gilas in its preparation for the SEABA Championship slated May 12-18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. – Fox Sports Asia

PBA Media Bureau Denzel Bowles’ former Star Hotshots teammates expressed sadness over TNT KaTropa’s sacking of the ex-Best Import who was given a pink slip before the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup due to an alleged attitude problem. Marc Pingris and Mark Barroca, members of the San Mig Coffee squad that won the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup with Bowles, admitted that they were both surprised about the news surrounding their ex-reinforcement. “Nakakalungkot lang yung sinabi nila na may attitude problem daw. Kasi hindi siya ganun sa amin dati, hindi ako naniniwala na ganun eh. Pero yun ang sabi ni Ranidel (De Ocampo). Mas matagal ko nakasama si Ranidel. Ang hirap eh,” Pingris said. “Excited na sana kami na makalaban siya nung tune-up (last week), tapos nangyari yun. Pinauwi daw. Na-surprise kami, pati yung import namin na-surprise rin,” Star guard Mark Barroca said. Before being signed by TNT, Bowles wasn’t shy about blasting his former team on social media, even declaring that he will never play again for Star after the squad didn’t hire him back last year following a leave of absence. That, of course, didn’t sit well with some Star fans, and Pingris suggested that Bowles might have taken the criticisms too personally. “Siguro nga, may mental baggage siya. Kasi parang pumapatol siya sa mga fans eh. Ako never ako nagmura ng fans kahit na anong galit ko. Kahit na anong paninira nila sa akin. Never akong nagmura ng fans. So, syempre, yung mga fans na yan sila bumubuhay sa atin eh. Kailangan huwag na huwag mong gagawin sa fans yun,” Pingris said. TNT coach Nash Racela earlier said the reason behind Bowles’ departure was “he had to attend to some personal matters in the US.” But KaTropa, who is still finding a replacement, already shut the door on Bowles. “Hopefully, he (Bowles) would still be given an opportunity to play somewhere, but not with our team,” Racela said. http://j.mp/2nC7QUB

Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia said poor guard play coupled with a bad shooting night from the outside made it difficult for the Fuel Masters to beat the Star Hotshots on Wednesday night. Vanguardia admitted the Hotshots’ guards outplayed his backcourt and shooting just 8% from long range obviously didn’t help. “Their guards are much better than my guards. I think it’s hard to win when we shoot 2-of-25 [from the three-point area],” Vanguardia told reporters after Phoenix suffered another blowout loss to Star, 101-82. “I have to challenge my guards to play much better.” “It’s like every time we play Star, they’re just [harassing] our guards. We gotta learn how to play teams with better guards. They will just attack our guards so our guards really need to step up.” Tony Mitchell led the Hotshots with 24 points and 16 rebounds, but also playing an instrumental role was point guard Mark Barroca, who fired 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Phoenix has now lost by an average of 28.5 points in its last four meetings against Star including a 44-point thrashing last conference. But despite the blowout defeat, Vanguardia had a reason to feel good about with his new import Jameel McKay showing a lot of promise with an impressive PBA debut. McKay had 34 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks as a replacement for the prolific Eugene Phelps, who had to fulfill his commitments with his ball club in Puerto Rico. “He’s got a lot of energy. We saw that he gave his all. We can run with him. He’s not like Phelps where we can just throw him the ball and let him do his thing. He plays within the system,” Vanguardia said of McKay, a defensive stalwart during his collegiate days with Iowa State. “It wasn’t his fault, today if we would have made two or three [more] threes, maybe we would have opened up the lane for him. It’s really hard to win when you shoot 2-of-25 and we’re known to be a shooting team.” Written by: Mark Giongco The post Star guards ‘much better than my guards,’ says Phoenix coach appeared first on Philippine Basketball Association. http://j.mp/2nBOa35

PBA IMAGES Star reasserted its mastery over Phoenix with a 101-82 win in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the latest double-digit victory, the Hotshots have now beaten the Fuel Masters by an average of 28.5 points in their last four meetings including a 44-point whipping back in the Philippine Cup. “The reminder to my players was to stay focused and be aggressive. We know Phoenix is motivated because of what happened to them last conference,” said Star head coach Chito Victolero, whose squad eliminated Phoenix in the quarterfinals last conference. “I’m very thankful for this win because my players stepped up. Our locals stepped up especially Allein (Maliksi) and Mark Barroca,” Victolero added. Tony Mitchell starred in his PBA debut with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, 16 rebounds and three blocks and he also got plenty of help from Star’s locals with Mark Barroca scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second half where the Hotshots took control. Allein Maliksi added 16 points while PJ Simon and Ian Sangalang chipped in 10 apiece for Star. Star won convincingly despite playing minus veteran forward Marc Pingris, who is expected to miss at least one more game due to a hip injury. The Fuel Masters kept it close in the first half but it was an entirely different story in the final two quarters as the Hotshots pushed the pace. Phoenix import Jameel McKay also shone in his first PBA game with 34 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. McKay, a defensive stalwart out of Iowa State, was brought in to replace the high-scoring Eugene Phelps, who had to leave to fulfill his commitments with his ball club in Puerto Rico’s first-tier basketball league. Written by: Mark Giongco The post Hotshots rout Fuel Masters anew appeared first on Philippine Basketball Association. http://j.mp/2mPFBNK

PBA Media Bureau How long can veteran guard LA Tenorio endure Star’s pesky guards in a best-of-seven semifinals series? Perhaps Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone will have to figure out a way of keeping his tried-and-tested veteran from getting worn down by his younger, faster and even more athletic counterparts like Mark Barroca, rookie Jio Jalalon and high-leaping Justin Melton. Tenorio himself admitted that he and the rest of the Gin Kings will have to come out smarter against the Hotshots, who took Game 1, 78-74, Thursday night in the Oppo PBA Philippine Cup semifinals. The court general was slowed down by the alternating defense of Jalalon, Melton and Barroca. Tenorio was limited to only eight points. Barroca said the ploy was to take the steam out of Tenorio who’s been playing long minutes for Ginebra. “Iniisip namin to slow down LA kasi nakikita naming yung average niya sa stats 42 minutes a game. Syempre, goal namin pagurin talaga siya. Si Justin, ako, si Jio yung nagpapalit-palit sa kanya,” Barroca said. The strategy was beneficial to Star’s prized guard Paul Lee who scored crucial baskets down the stretch en route to his 18 points that led the Hotshots. “Kasi nga yun yung advantage namin sa series na ito. Heavy minutes sila, kami hindi gaano. Ngayon lang yata nag-38 minutes si Paul. Ngayon lang rin ako nag-30,” added Barroca. Lee agreed: “From the start pa lang naman yung game plan namin is not to shut down LA, but limit LA. Doon kami nakatutok talaga. “Mahirap kapag pumutok si LA, ilang games kaya niyang gumawa ng 30 points a night.” Tenorio said dealing with the kind of defense being employed by the Hotshots guard is tough for him. “Medyo mahirap matching up with them. Madami sila eh, tsaka lahat sila threat. We really have to be smart on everything na ginagawa namin. It’s not about playing hard, but also playing smart. Play hard, play smart,” Tenorio said. “Hindi lang puro lakas, lakas, lakas. You really have to play smart sa ginagawa namin sa loob, every possession.” http://j.mp/2luxfuG

PBA Fan of the Day: Julius Sitjar Name: Julius Sitjar Age: 30 Hails from: Pasay City Fan of which team: Star Hotshots Favorite Player: Mark Barroca How long have you been a fan of the team: 15 years Why are you a fan of the team: I’ve been a fan ever since I was a kid. The post PBA Fan of the Day: Julius Sitjar appeared first on Philippine Basketball Association. http://j.mp/2lbfKz2

Mark Barroca Rejects The Beast | Governors Cup 2016