By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
NorthPort Batang Pier got another reinforcement in the upcoming 2022 PBA Governor’s Cup.
As superstar Robert Bolick is yet to reach a contract agreement with NorthPort, the team signed PBA veteran Roi Sumang for the rest of the conference and is looking to take over point guard duties in the meantime.
Sumang, who failed to play in the last months of the PBA when no teams decided to acquire his services, has finally found a home again and is seeking to make an immediate impact with NorthPort.
The energetic and flashy guard showed he still had game when he led the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards to the grand finals of the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Invitational Cup but eventually lost against Basilan.
Before playing for Nueva Ecija in the MPBL, Sumang was a member of the official roster of the NLEX Road Warriors but the management decided to release him.
Sumang played several seasons with the Blackwater Elite from 2016 to 2020 and established himself as one of the quickest guards to ever play in the PBA.
Aside from Sumang’s highly-anticipated PBA return, his stint with NorthPort will also set up a homecoming with the franchise that drafted him during the 2015 Rookie Draft.
Sumang quickly impressed during his rookie year with NorthPort after averaging 3.6 points per game on eight minutes of playing time.
His numbers improved when he transferred to Blackwater and became the team’s main orchestrator while averaging 10.4 points, 4.3 assists and rebounds per game.
