In his rookie season, he backed up veterans Josh Urbiztondo and Jonas Villanueva. But with those players gone, the “Coffee Prince” finally had a chance to be a full-time starter for the Mixers.
But instead of shining, the start of the tournament saw the second-year guard struggle from the field.
Barroca admitted feeling the pressure of his new role.
“Hindi ko nga ini-expect, kaya medyo pressured rin ako, pero kung ano yung ipapagawa sa akin, yun ang gagawin ko. Kailangang magign ready ako parati,” he said.The former Far Easter University stalwart finally broke out of his slump, scoring nine points in San Mig Coffee’s victory Sunday night against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.
“There’s so much pressure on him, especially now that he’s playing the lead guard for the team. The reason why Jonas and Josh were traded is to open up playing time for him,” said Cone.
“We were joking that when Mark is playing hurt, he always plays much better, but when he’s healthy, he was struggling.”
But Cone knows that Barroca will eventually be able to step up to the challenge.
“I think Mark will start to get settled in the long run, he just needs to control himself,” said the coach.
Helping with Barroca with the adjustment is an all-time great PBA point guard who also happened to wear No. 14 — San Mig Coffee assistant Johnny Abarrientos.
“Johnny was watching him from the bench and seeing how will he perform,” said Cone.
Barroca said Abarrientos has been challenging him to step up.
“Kapag masama nga ang laro ko, sinasabihan niya ako ng naka-number 14 ka pa ha,” said Barroca, adding he wants to make his mentor proud.
“Alam ko biro yun, pero in a way, parang challenge na rin niya sa akin yun.”
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