Stephen Holt pays little attention to the numbers he has been putting up for the still-unbeaten Terrafirma.
Despite showing signs of the billing that made him the top overall pick of the last Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft, what’s important for Holt is to see the Dyip rack up wins in the Philippine Cup.
“I’ve always said that stats don’t matter, it’s all about winning, lifting and elevating the group and being a positive influence both offensively and defensively,” Holt said.
His performance in Terrafirma’s first two games gave the team its best start since claiming its only playoff appearance in the league back in the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
Holt’s hard work stood out as he was unanimously adjudged as the conference’s first PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week.
While he doesn’t care about the numbers, Holt’s 22.0-point, 8.5-rebound, 4.0-assist and 4.5-steal production has elevated a Terrafirma side that defeated Converge and NLEX in the first week of the season-ending conference.
He opened the Philippine Cup by resetting his season-high with 27 points while contributing 10 rebounds, four assists and five steals and the Dyip rolled past the FiberXers, 107-99, on 1 March.
Two days later, Holt fired 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in a hard-fought 99-95 win over the Road Warriors that put the Dyip at 2-0, tying another perennial bottom feeder in the Blackwater Bossing.
Terrafirma hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016, holding the league’s longest active drought. At that time, the franchise won four in a row on its way to making the top eight.
It’s a destination Holt and the Dyip, who are also led by the likes of first-time All-Star Juami Tiongson, Javi Gomez de Liano and Isaac Go, are looking to reach this time.
“It’s really difficult for a group like us that hasn’t tasted too much success,” Holts said.
“We just have to stay positive, keep working like we had in the lead-up to this conference. Again, we can only control what we can control.”
Holt edged out for the weekly award given by the men and women covering the beat, Tiongson and Blackwater’s Troy Rosario.
