ANTIPOLO - It helped Roger Pogoy that he knows too well current TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa from way back.
"Champion kami (FEU). Magkasama kami," said Pogoy of Lastimosa who was consultant to the Tamaraws under coach Nash Racela when they won the 2015 UAAP men's basketball championship over University of Santo Tomas.
Now he's hoping they'll be able to duplicate the feat as he plays under the 58-year-old PBA great with the Tropang Giga.
Knowing what Pogoy is capable of, Lastimosa got a lot from the 30-year-old shooting guard from Cebu on both ends of the floor as TNT bounced back behind a 93-85 win over Magnolia Friday night in the Governors' Cup.
Not only did Pogoy hit big baskets behind a team-high 20 points, he also grabbed five rebounds and assisted three in the victory which hiked the Tropang Giga's record to 3-1.
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Lastimosa's familiarity with him, according to Pogoy, helped him seamlessly settle down with the system of the 58-year-old PBA great and one of the league's Top 25 Players of all time.
"Malaking tulong din yun dahil tiwala siya sa akin kung ano ang magagawa ko sa court," said Pogoy.
"Siyempre tiwala rin ako kay coach Jolas. Malaking impact din yun para hindi ako mag-dalawang isip pa."
Lastimosa agreed with Pogoy, saying his confidence to the shooting guard stems from having known and worked with him since college.
"Roger, he is humble. We've come a long way at FEU, and he knows that it is through hard work kaya nandito siya ngayon," said the TNT coach.
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Pogoy's hard work has truly paid off as Lastimosa heaped praise on him as the best two-way player in the league today.
"Roger is probably the best two-way player in the league. Sinasabi lang niya depensa ng depensa. But his offense is humming right now," he said. (RG)
