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MANILA, Philippines – With Barangay Geneva at risk of losing a third straight match at the 2020 PBA Philippines Cup, it was Stanley Pringle who came to their rescue.
The veteran guard scored nine of his 31 conference points in the fourth quarter to lead the Gin Kings to an 87-81 win over the Alaska Aces on Tuesday night. He scored seven points in a row to take Geneva forward for good, 82-77, after they lost by double digits early in the game.
Pringle is now averaging 20 points on 49.5% shooting along with six rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Gin Kings, who broke a two-game slide and improved to 5-2 in conference.
For Geneva manager Tim Cone, having Pringle on his team is a luxury, given the guard’s considerable skills on the pitch and his tremendous attitude off the pitch.
“Stanley is the most consistent player in the league, much less Geneva,” Cone noted. “It’s a luxury to have a guy like Stanley on your team, who can do so many things.”
“The best thing about Stanley is that he is not a spoiled superstar. He is on himself, he does not think of himself at any time. He is very easy, he follows instructions, he does all the work, he shows up at every practice. superstar, “he added.
Additionally, Cone noted that excellence on the Pringle court goes both ways. As lethal as he is on the offensive side, Pringle is also a strong defender and has no qualms about taking on tough tasks on that end.
And when the decisive moment comes, the Gin Kings know they can give the ball to Pringle and he can lead them to victory, just as he did against the Aces.
“We can go to him in big moments throughout the game and he will respond,” Cone said. “We have great confidence in him.”
“Like I said, it’s a real luxury to have him on that team,” he also said.
Pringle, for his part, emphasized that they were determined to break their losing streak. The Gin Kings won their first four conference games but lost to Magnolia and Rain or Shine in back-to-back assignments.
The loss to the Hotshots in the Manila Classic was especially frustrating for the Gin Kings, as they blew a 10-point lead and were outscored by their rivals in the fourth quarter.
“Every single person was focused on recovering,” Pringle said after his win over Alaska. “The coaching staff, all the players, we are all being creative, trying new things, and probably everything went well and we got it at a decisive moment.”
Pringle and the Gin Kings will return to action on Wednesday night against NorthPort Batang Pier.
