MANILA, Philippines – What Arwind Santos lacks in performance, he makes up for in leadership.

Though held scoreless in his PBA return after a months-long injury layoff, Santos still made his presence felt as NorthPort finally broke through in the Governors’ Cup with a 115-100 win over Terrafirma on Wednesday, February 22.

Santos missed all of his three field goals and tallied just 1 rebound and 1 assist in 7:30 minutes of action, but influenced the game in his own way by motivating the likes of Joshua Munzon and JM Calma.

Calma played his best game of the conference with 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Munzon churned out 17 points for his finest performance in a Batang Pier uniform.

“Even if I cannot contribute on the court, even if I do not have the numbers, it is important to me to encourage my teammates and lift their confidence,” said Santos, who sat out for four months after injuring his knee.

The former PBA MVP stressed the need for a balanced scoring attack, which he believed the team lacked throughout its six-game losing streak to open the conference.

Against the Dyip, four players scored in double figures led by import Kevin Murphy and Robert Bolick, who finished with 28 and 26 points, respectively.

NorthPort also received 16 points combined from Arvin Tolentino and Paolo Taha.

“It helps the team if everyone is clicking,” Santos said. “I tell them that this is their time to shine so they should take advantage of it.”

Santos, though, said he looks forward to producing his usual numbers as NorthPort eyes to make a late push for the playoffs.

The 41-year-old forward, after all, is just a season removed from his 10th Mythical First Team selection.

“It is not too late, I still have time to come back stronger,” he said. “I can prove that I’m still the Arwind Santos who only slowed down because of injury.”

“We still have a chance, there is still a flicker of hope for us. As long as I’m on the bench, I’ll always try to contribute even if I’m not a 100 percent.” – Rappler.com