By REYNALD MAGALLON
Life simply goes on for Joshua Munzon though there was no sense of any bitterness whatsoever in his voice following the departure of two of his NorthPort teammates in just a span of weeks.
Munzon, who was left behind at the Batang Pier after the team sent William Navarro to the Magnolia Hotshots and allowed star forward Arvin Tolentino to walk away for an overseas deal, said that he was genuinely happy to see the two move on to a better situation.
Munzon, Tolentino and Navarro had formed a formidable trio at NorthPort and was the big reason behind the team’s semifinals appearance in the last conference.
“We are happy for our guys,” said Munzon after NorthPort’s first official game without the two forwards.
“Arvin deserves to go there and make some money. He showed last conference how good of a player he is. He definitely deserves to make his money,” he said of Tolentino whose move to the Korean Basketball League after signing with Seoul SK Knights made headlines during the Batang Pier’s 70-94 loss to TNT on Friday, May 30.
As for Navarro, Munzon said the up-and-coming forward deserved it as he has seen first hand how he worked hard to get back into the game shape fter suffering an ACL injury early in his PBA career.
“He’s (Navarro) worked hard here coming back from his ACL surgery, and see where he is now. I’m happy for him. He is really good at this conference. It’s always happy to see somebody move on to a good situation,” said Munzon.
As for NorthPort, Munzon should take the leadership role to the team though he stressed that it’s now an opportunity for everyone to step and strut their wares.
“It’s more opportunity for everybody now. Guys that haven’t played a lot get an opportunity to show that they deserve to be on the court and get more minutes,” said Munzon as the Batang Pier are now out of contention for a playoff spot with their 1-7 record.
“I think it’s the way around for everybody. More opportunities, more chances to show that you can play,” he added.
