Have you met Chris Banchero, Alaska’s “secret defensive weapon”?

Chris Banchero looks like a leading man but prefers not to be branded as one. At least, he doesn’t want to be branded as such in a limiting sense. Alaska’s top rookie looks like a leading man on the court. But if one looks closely at his playing style, he acts more like a nameless, danger-seeking, contact-happy stuntman on the floor.

Banchero belongs to the Chris Tiu School of Sneaky Rugged Players. Yung akala mo puro pa-pogi lang pero ready pala makipag-palitan ng mukha without anyone noticing. And although Banchero fired a career-high 16 points in Game 1, he takes more pride in his evolution as a defender. He believes his newfound defensive style isn’t just a plus. Against San Miguel, it’s a necessity. 

MH: So you finally played your first PBA Finals game last night. Do you remember how it felt, especially being on the floor for, say, the first two minutes?

CB: I was extremely excited. I had a lot of different emotions when I got out there. We had a really good crowd last night. Our Alaska fans were great. It’s the finals. We’re playing on the biggest stage. We’re playing for the most coveted trophy for the whole year. Everybody wants to win this one. Getting out there was just so exciting especially since it’s just my first conference. I was just happy I could contribute to the team.

MH: What exactly are you being asked to contribute?

CB: Coach Alex (Compton) just tells me to make the right decisions. When I first came out here, I thought it was all about scoring and making assists. Coach Alex doesn’t really care about that. When you’re on the floor, he just wants you to make the right decisions.

MH: Based on Coach Alex’s feedback, have you been making the right decisions throughout the tournament?

CB: Yeah, yeah, I feel like I have. I’ve had some ups and downs. I thought last night was probably my best game of the tournament. I’ve learned a lot from Coach Compton, and Jvee (Casio), and Cyrus (Baguio), and there are so many vets on the team that I’ve been able to learn from. Being able to play like I did last night and our team coming back even after the way we started, it felt really good. But, you know, it’s going to be a long series so I kind of had to put that game behind me.

MH: Try to hold on to your memories Game 1 for a few more minutes since I want to ask about your team defense last night. Was playing physical defense on San Miguel in Game 1 by design?

CB: I don’t know if it was by design but I feel it was necessary. Being down 27-5 (at the end of the first quarter), we had to do something. We just couldn’t sit back any longer. Being physical especially against June Mar (Fajardo) with him being such a great player and him being so big, we had to do and try something. We were down 22 or 25 so changing the tempo and becoming more physical was definitely necessary.

MH: Are you a physical player?

CB: I am. I’ve become a physical player ever since I came to the PBA. Honestly, before I came to the PBA, I wasn’t as physical. But around here, you’re not going to make it in this league if you’re not physical. It’s a given. Especially at the guard position, there are so many good guards. You don’t really have a choice.

MH: Is your defense often overlooked?

CB: Yeah, definitely, for sure, without a doubt. Ever since I got to the Philippines, it’s always been about my offense but when I entered the PBA, I told Coach Compton that I want to be one of the best defenders in the PBA. That’s my goal, because offense will always come. I really tried to work hard on my defense this whole conference and I’m going to continue to. That’s one of the strengths that Coach Compton wants from me.

MH: When you look at Alaska and you want to enumerate Alaska’s rugged players, most fans probably won’t mention your name. Maybe they’ll say Exciminiano or Abueva or Vic Manuel. Should you be included on that list?

CB: I think I have to be on that list. I don’t want to let our guys down. Especially Ping (Exciminiano), Cal (Abueva), and Vic (Manuel), they play with such tenacity so I have to match that or I won’t be doing my job. Because you see the way they change games, especially Ping. He’s a big-time x-factor. Me and Ping always talk before the game that we want to be a spark. Ping and I can really cause chaos on the defensive side. We can change the game especially if we’re down.

MH: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from Coach Alex?

CB: It doesn’t matter who scores so long as Alaska scores. That’s what he preaches. Everybody on our team is playing a part. No one is bigger than any other. He preaches that ‘til the end.

MH: You said it’s going to be a long series. What makes San Miguel constantly dangerous?

CB: San Miguel has a stacked roster from top to bottom. Everybody knows that. They have all-stars at every position. You know they’re going to come out swinging in Game 2. We said right after the game that we needed to stay hungry and stay humble. It was just one win. San Miguel, they have two MVPs in Arwind (Santos) and June Mar. They have Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz, Chris Ross. They have a stacked roster. We have to play a lot better than we did yesterday.

MH: What does Alaska have that most teams do not have?

CB: We really just never give up. We know that we’re never out of a game because our defense produces offense. Regardless if we’re down 10 or 20 or 25, we’re always in the game. The way we play “D”, we get stops so fast and place teams in bad positions that we start making them rethink about what they’re doing on the floor. I think we do that better than any other team in the league. Coach Alex always preaches team defense. There are 5 guys on the floor. If there are defensive breakdowns, we have to be able to cover for one another. That’s what being a team is.