TNT’s Cebuano basketball star Roger Ray Pogoy says not getting any awards during the recent PBA Special Awards Night last Sunday did not bother him one bit.
The 6-foot-2 wingman was a revelation during the 2020 PBA Philippine which was played inside a bubble in Clark, Pampanga. There, the high school product of the University of Cebu took charge with season averages of 18.82 points, 5.64 rebounds, 2.36 assists and 1.82 steals per game.
He was even more spectacular in the finals against Barangay Ginebra. With ace wingman Bobby Ray Parks unable to suit up because of a strained calf and longtime sentinel Jayson Castro joining the latter later on because of a knee injury, Pogoy carried the scoring cudgels for the depleted TNT squad. He averaged 26 points in the five-game series, including a 38-point explosion in Game 2.
However, Pogoy said he really didn’t expect any awards to come his way since he says a lot of players did well inside the bubble.
“I’m not bothered by it. I really didn’t expect anything since a lot of players played well inside the bubble,” said Pogoy.
Pogoy added that the awards snub wouldn’t really motivate him for the upcoming PBA season. He says the chase for his first championship already provides him with plenty of fuel.
“I’m always motivated since I still don’t have a championship,” said Pogoy.
For now, though, Pogoy has his eyes set on suiting up for the Gilas Pilipinas in the upcoming 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers that will be held in Clark next month. He would be entering the training bubble on January 22 to prepare for what he expects to be grueling games against Korea and Indonesia.
Although Pogoy admits that his physical conditioning isn’t quite there yet, he is more than prepared when it comes to the mental side.
“Physically, I’m not that prepared yet since I’ve been on vacation for quite some time but mentally, I’m very prepared.” (JNP)