Before the PBL PG Flex Cup opened a couple months ago, Hapee Toothpaste was supposed to enlist the core of the reigning UAAP champion Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles. That plan did not quite materialize and head coach Gee Abanilla instead stuck to their old reliables from last season plus a couple of Filipino-Foreigners to carry the cudgels for the Complete Protectors.

One thing the Lamoiyan franchise never stopped dreaming of however was landing Ateneo team captain and UAAP Season 71 Mythical 5 selection Chris Tiu. Tiu had ended his collegiate basketball career with a UAAP championship, his first and only one with the Blue Eagles, and he was also in the process of earning his second undergraduate degree after completing his BS in Management Engineering. At 5-foot-11, the sweet-shooting guard provided not only valuable perimeter scoring, handling and ball distribution but a lot of intelligence and leadership.

“We really want to have Chris Tiu on the team because he is a proven competitor and a proven winner,” declared team manager Bernard Yang in a television interview during the open tryouts before the conference began. “We still have a lot of very good players including Jervy Cruz, but of course he (Tiu) would still be a welcome addition to the team,” he added.

Come opening day, Tiu was in uniform and joined the rest of the Complete Protectors in the parade of teams. “We are very happy that Chris Tiu joined our team, and hopefully he will be able to contribute right away when he plays for us,” said team owner Dr Cecilio Pedro in an interview during the opening ceremonies. However his other commitments, including some business that had to take him overseas and his network television hosting, prevented him from playing for all of the elimination rounds

Hapee struggled all throughout the eliminations as they failed to play at a consistently high level. Their backcourt played come and go as did their perimeter game. It seemed only center Jervy Cruz, leading the league with 10 rebounds per game, played consistently for the Complete Protectors. Guards Earn Saguindel, Ely Olarte, Lance Convento and swingmen Anthony Espiritu and Josh Vanlandingham provided scoring but could not seem to move the ball around enough as defenses built walls around Cruz, backup center Reynel Hugnatan and forward Jim Viray.

When Tiu finally showed up in their win-or-go home game against the Pharex Generix, he soon proved what all the fuss was about, and why exactly the Complete Protectors kept the faith and waited for him to finally suit up. He didn’t score much in their 84-81 victory over the Generix. He did however provide exactly the kind of on-court leadership and stability expected of him. “He has a very high basketball IQ and plays with great intelligence,” declared Abanilla in a pre-game interview. “He’s had only a coupe of practices with us but he has jelled very well with all of his teammates,” Abanilla added.

Tiu played mostly pointguard in their game against Pharex, going up against arguably the best guard in the PBL today, Filipino-American Chris Ross out of Marshall University in Texas. Ross is the league leader in both assists and steals, and is incredibly fast and athletic, and he very nearly made it a one-game season for Tiu. “I hope to provide stability, maybe some scoring and ballhandling, anything to help us win,” Tiu said during a pre-game interview.

Abanilla made no secret about Tiu’s role on the team: he started him right away in a do-or-die quarterfinal game against a Pharex side that was on a five-game winning streak. Tiu responded by finding Cruz time and again right in the lane for easy layups as the Complete Protectors took the early 26-13 lead. Pharex made their expected uprisings of course, but the Complete Protectors hung in there and just kept playing their game.

Pharex made run after run, cutting into the lead behind Ross, but Hapee always had an answer. There was Convento attacking the baseline, Vanlandingham nailing back to back treys in the face of a hot Pharex rally, Viray slashing and striking everywhere else. Through it all Tiu was directing traffic, finding the open man, moving the ball quickly.

In the end-game Pharex came within 78-80 time down to about a minute. Tiu however made it 82-78 for Hapee with his dead-on freethrow shooting. Pharex nailed a corner trey to make it 81-82. Vanlandingham sealed the win though with two pressure freethrows of his own for the final count.

Cruz was adjudged best player of the game with 19 points and 10 boards, but Tiu proved to be the real difference. He settled his team down and provided stability from the backcourt. Although his outside trigger was absent, he still found ways to help his side get the critical W.

Up next for Tiu and Hapee is Harbor Center, the best team in the league and champions the last five conferences. It will be a tall order and a big challenge but it looks like, with Tiu finally onboard, Hapee should be ready to rise to the occasion.