Stanley Pringle vows to stay healthy as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel launches its title defense in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.
In a television interview, Pringle said while he is savoring the sweetness of their Commissioner’s Cup triumph, he also wants to stay in shape when they kick off their Governors’ Cup campaign on 5 February against Rain or Shine at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After getting sidelined for most part of the year due to a meniscus tear on his left knee, Pringle made a masterful comeback when he carried the Kings to a big 91-85 victory in Game 5 of their best-of-seven Commissioner’s Cup finals series against Bay Area recently.
The Kings won the title in seven games and the Filipino-American playmaker vowed to take good care of his body as they launch their defense of the title of the season-ending conference.
“Every player has to work off the court as far as your body. Taking care of your body, taking care of your injuries, making sure you’re stretching and you’re flexible in all your areas,” Pringle said.
“You can be ready for the game but if you’re not battling day-in and day-out in practice, you might not be part of that core.”
Pringle said the Governors’ Cup will never be easy.
In fact, there will be a huge target on their backs with other teams looking to knock the crown off their heads.
“We already knew while we were practicing for Bay Area in the finals that other teams were practicing for the next conference. That was always in the back of our heads,” Pringle said.
“It’s definitely a quick turnaround and I’m focused on learning how to recover from that.”
He added that they will stay hungry despite their previous success.
“Each championship was different in terms of the role played, but I would say that regardless of the championship, the goal is always the same,” said Pringle, who won four titles with the Kings.
“For me, I don’t put any championship in front of the other, it’s a team goal to win the chip, and I believe that’s everybody’s goal going into it.”
