Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, the newest TNT Tropang Giga player, in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES
Even from the outside looking in, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser was aware of the high standards at TNT, especially with his brother on the team.
“The culture and the winning mindset [of TNT], it’s already set there,” Ganuelas-Rosser said after starting off his Tropang Giga stint on a bright note on Wednesday with a 108-107 escape act over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
And the sophomore big, known by “BGR” initials, hopes to be a vital cog for a franchise eager to wrest back the all-Filipino crown.
“I’m trying to acclimate myself to their ways,” he said. “Obviously I have some talents, I think being able to play inside and out is something that they haven’t had in a while. Just bringing my versatility, making the team even more versatile.
Ganuelas-Rosser finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds despite still being in the adjustment period, which began two days prior when TNT finally acquired the former PBA 3×3 star and Cambodia Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist through a three-team trade with NLEX and Blackwater.
TNT, a traditional contender each conference, took Ganuelas-Rosser in an attempt to match up with the bigs of rivals like San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra, which respectively have June Mar Fajardo and Christian Standhardinger.
“That’s the reason why we made great strides to get him because that’s what we really lacked,” said Chot Reyes, who is back calling the shots for TNT after handling the Gilas program in the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) World Cup.
“We lacked that steady big man. If our other big men do not play well, at least we have that extra guy like Brandon. So we can’t complain, we’re very happy.”
Not rushing
The Tropang Giga, however, are not rushing Ganuelas-Rosser, who aside from needing time to get used to the system is also coming off a pair of injuries that limited him to just five games for NLEX in the Commissioner’s Cup.
“He’s quite a long way off from being in game shape,” said Reyes. “We have to ease him slowly. He’s had one practice with us and he’s coming off that injury in the SEA Games and he had shin splints last conference. Hopefully we can keep him 100 percent healthy so he can be well-conditioned.”
The move to TNT allowed Ganuelas-Rosser to reunite with his older brother Matt, which made it a special moment for their family.
“I remember I messaged my dad, my mom and my younger brother—we have a group chat—I was like, ‘I have a Woj bomb for you guys,’” Brandon said. “They were like, What? I sent them the article and stuff. They were just really happy. I’m sure they watched and stayed up and everything like that.”
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Meanwhile, the Philippine Cup continues on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum with Terrafirma and Converge facing off at 4:30 p.m. followed by NorthPort against NLEX at 7:30 p.m.
