MANILA – NorthPort Batang Pier’s Sean Anthony is on a quest for his first Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) championship in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup.
“This is my 10th year now. And this year, ten is about winning a championship with NorthPort as a team,” said the 34-year-old forward who was recently named as Defensive Player of the Year by PBA Press Corps.
The Filipino-Canadian fell short during his sophomore year with the Powerade Tigers. They were slammed by the Talk ‘N Text KaTropa during the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
During that year, the Tigers, as the eight-seeded team, reached all the way to the championship round after defeating top seed B-Meg Llamados (now Magnolia Hotshots) in the quarterfinals and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the semifinals.
With Batang Pier, on the other hand, Anthony had another chance for a trophy during the last Governor’s Cup after they stunned No. 1 team NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals as the No. 8 team. However, they were stopped in the semifinals by eventual champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings.
After getting a long overdue berth in the Mythical First team and All-Defensive Team, along with the team having an intact roster, Anthony has all the reasons to win a championship.
“I’m not so worried about the individual thing. The big thing is the team wins a championship. That’s my biggest motivation,” said Anthony.
“I got to thank my teammates from last year, coaches and everyone for getting me involved, trusting me and allowing me to showcase what I have,” he added.
Anthony believes that NorthPort has the tools to contend in the All-Filipino Conference. The team has Christian Standhardinger and Kelly Nabong as frontcourt weapons and Nico Elorde and Bacolodnon LA Revilla as backcourt ones.
“We think we have a great squad. We’re looking forward to coming out again and having a great year,” he said. “We’re looking forward to winning a championship more than anything.”
The PBA Philippine Cup is currently on a halt due to the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak./PN
