Undersized at wing spot, Pringle shows he can still deliver

Source: The Manila times
Author: Richard Dy

MANILA, Philippines -- Losing top wingman Jamie Malonzo remains a cause of concern for Barangay Ginebra in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series.

But one good thing going for the Gin Kings is the presence of veteran guard Stanley Pringle.

At 37, Pringle showed he can still ball, and he proved that in the team's series-opening game against Meralco.

The 2014 top overall rookie pick fired a season-high 22 points, highlighted by three triples, six rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes of action.

Tim Cone can't say if Pringle is a "luxury" of a player to have, considering the Gin Kings don't have Malonzo, who just weeks back, joined Jeremiah Gray and Aljon Mariano in injured bay.

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"It's huge because we lost Jamie, lost Miah (Gray), Aljon, and that's (small forward) is always a key position for us so Stanley comes and plays it. Though he's undersized, we play him out of position, and still being productive on both sides, still playing bigger than he is," explained Cone.

"I'm not sure if he's a luxury (to have) at this point but he's coming as a sixth man, and still he can start at any moment, at any given moment he can take over the game," he added.

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Pringle sure still has a lot left on his tank despite the long mileage on his legs.

Though injury-prone the past few seasons, Cone has managed the former Penn State standout's minutes well, and preserve him for the big games in the playoffs.

Pringle only averaged under 22 minutes in the elims, where he normed just 7.54 points, 2.9 rebounds and, 2.0 assists.

Still, when his number is called, Pringle still delivers.

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"In the fourth quarter, I was just trying to stay aggressive, picking my spots," said the Ginebra combo guard, who scored nine points in Ginebra's critical fourth quarter run to fend off Meralco.

"Honestly, we're a deep team. It's nice I can come in and be agressive and score, or others can come and score."