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The Long Road back for Stephens
By Jonas Terrado (February 11, 2009)

Harbour Centre Fil-Am Nick Stephens became the surprise hero in the series-clinching Game 4 of the 2009 PBL PG Flex Linoleum Cup finals.

Stephens, the former Holy Names University standout, came through with a personal conference high 13 points, including a crucial trey with 4:08 left in the game that put the Batang Pier up by four and ultimately gave the team the championship.

That effort earned the 6-5 forward the Pivotal Player of the Finals, an award given to those who played a crucial role in the title series.

But like most players, Stephens gave credit to his teammates for the accolade that he received.

"It didn't just take one player to win this game," said Stephens. "I had a great team and I couldn't won this award without them."

It's quite a long two-year odyssey for him. Back in the 2007 Unity Cup, Harbour acquired Stephens after getting noticed in games against other Fil-am players in the United States.

"Actually I have some friends who played in the PBL and are now in the PBA and I played with them in the States," he recalled.

He played a reserve role for the Batang Pier during that conference, averaging 3.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in five games but still went on to become a member of the team's third consecutive title.

But after that, Stephens went back to the States to focus on his studies. It wasn't until this conference that he made a return to the Philippines and reunite with Harbour.

It was another limited role for him this conference (3.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 11.5 minutes in 15 games) but he was a reliable shooter, hitting 57 percent from the floor including 47 percent of his treys.

Stephens had nine points on 4-of-4 shooting along with five rebounds when Harbour bombed Magnolia during the second round of the eliminations for his most productive game of the conference.

That was until head coach Jorge Gallent called his number in Game 4 with the Batang Pier's 13 point lead slashed to only a point and with Rico Maierhofer fouling out and Reed Juntilla not playing.

And from there, Stephens didn't disappoint and played one of his best games of his career.

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