Roger Pogoy uses doubt to fuel his journey to the top

Cebuano Roger Pogoy said he heard all the doubters when he first arrived in Manila to play for FEU. (PBA photo)
Cebuano Roger Pogoy said he heard all the doubters when he first arrived in Manila to play for FEU. (PBA photo)

A trip from Cebu City to Manila may take just an hour but for Talk N Text wingman Roger Ray Pogoy, it feels a lot longer.

In as much as he’s one of the pillars of the KaTropa now, the road the Talisay City-native took to get there was long and filled with doubters in every turn. This he revealed during a recent appearance on the podcast 2OT last Saturday, June 27, 2020.

A former standout of the University of Cebu’s high school basketball program, Pogoy was recruited to join Far Eastern University where he joined a loaded team led by superstar Terrence Romeo. Safe to say, Pogoy’s rookie season saw him spend more time on the bench than he did on the floor.

That’s when all the doubters started to come out.

“Daming nagsasabi sa akin na Cebu lang daw ako magaling. Kasi nung unang punta ko sa Cebu, hindi kaagad ako nagamit,” said the 6-foot-2 wingman.

“Sa Cebu, nung high school ako, MVP ako. Pero sabi nila, wala yan. Sa Cebu lang yan magaling,” he added.

Pogoy says he took all of this in stride and used it as fuel in his bid for greatness. After leading FEU to the UAAP championship in 2015, he has since made it big in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) winning the 2017 Rookie of the Year award.

Since then, he has been named an All Star for three straight years and earned a spot on the 2019 PBA Mythical 2nd team. He also is a mainstay on the Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team.

With the PBA’s future still uncertain, Pogoy said he believes that the TnT has all the tools it needs to make a run at a championship or two. With fellow Gilas young guns Poy Erram and Ray Parks by his side, Pogoy said their collective youth is a weapon other teams must now contend with.

“Maganda na sana ensayo namin papasok ng all-Filipino. Nagkapaan na kami. Nung pumasok si Rayray, saglit lang kami magkasama. Kapaan muna. Ang hirap. Nung nag-practice na kami papuntang all-Filipino, maganda na sana, excited na kami maglaro, matagal na kaming mag-ensayo kasama si Rayray. Sayang lang dumating ‘yung COVID,” said Pogoy.

The KaTropa has not hoisted a championship trophy in half a decade. Its last title came in the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup. (JNP)

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