MANILA, Philippines – Like coach, like player. 

Stanley Pringle did what no one has ever done in the PBA in 14 years by erupting for 50 points. And GlobalPort head coach Pido Jarencio couldn’t help but compare the spitfire guard to himself back when he was the one torching the nets. 

Jarencio was left in awe after his 31-year-old cager hit the half-century mark to power the Batang Pier to a 133-115 romp of the Columbian Dyip on Friday, June 22.

“Tonight is Stanley’s show, diba. ‘Yun lang, puro Stanley. Nine 3-points tapos 50 points. Parang ako noong college,” said “The Fireman,” who once shot the lights out after pouring in 48 points for University of Santo Tomas (UST ) in its UAAP Finals duel against University of the East (UE). 

(Tonight is Stanley’s show. That is just it, it is pure Stanley. Nine 3-points and he scored 50 points. He was just like me when I was in college.)

“Dito career-high ko 45 lang, siya 50,” added Jarencio, who fired 45 points for Barangay Ginebra in 1992.  

(My career-high in the PBA is 45 points only, Stanley has 50.) 

While scoring 50 points meant shooting a ton of shots, Pringle, who now holds the season-high for all players and the franchise record for the Batang Pier, achieved the feat without compensating for accuracy and efficiency.

The 4-year pro made 18 of his 30 shots for an impressive 60% clip. But what made his performance extra special was his pinpoint long-range sniping, with Pringle draining 9 of his 14 3-point attempts for a stellar 64%. 

“I wasn’t thinking about 50 points, I was just thinking about getting the ball to the rim because my shot has been flat. Finally made some threes and then next thing you know I have 40-something points,” said Pringle.

Pringle finished the maiden period with 11 points before catching fire in the second quarter with 14 markers. He then churned out 12 in the 3rd frame before finishing his night with 13 points in the 4th. 

And what better way to cap off Pringle’s historic outing – the first 50-point game since Asi Taulava’s 51-point eruption in 2004 – is to slam it home. 

After scoring 11 points in the first 6 minutes of the payoff period, Pringle was often double-teamed and had trouble heading into the hoop to hit the 50-point plateau. 

But just as the clock eclipsed the last-one-minute mark, the guard out of Penn State stole the ball from Rashawn McCarthy before going for a dunk with 54 seconds left.

“When I hit 48 then they were like, ‘Oh, get two more points, leak out.’ So I was like ‘Alright.’ Coach didn’t even want to sub me out, he was like, ‘Score two more.’ So I was, ‘Okay, I need two more.” 

With the Batang Pier still in contention for a quarterfinals berth after improving to 5-5, Pringle was just glad to have helped his team stay alive. 

“I honestly don’t care about the 50 points. I’d rather get to the playoffs and do something in the playoffs,” he said. 

GlobalPort seeks to punch its ticket to the playoffs when it clashes with Barangay Ginebra on July 6 at the Cuneta Astrodome. – Rappler.com