Don’t look now but the Terrafirma Dyip have the best record in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup.

By this time of the year, the Dyip would begin their descent to the bottom of the standings, solidifying their position in the race for the top pick in the succeeding season’s draft. Now, though, Terrafirma aced their first two assignments in the All-Filipino Conference, joining fellow cellar-dweller Blackwater Bossing.

Leading the Dyip through this relatively unprecedented run has been Stephen Holt.

With imports now out of the way, Holt had more space to operate and show everyone why Terrafirma made him their latest top selection in the PBA Draft. 

When the Dyip selected Holt with the first overall pick in the 2023 PBA Draft, the assumption was that he would bring a winning mentality to Terrafirma not only because he was a well-traveled basketball player, but also because he was an older rookie at 31 years old.

Holt pretty much saw everything there is to basketball with stops in the NBA G-League, Australia’s National Basketball League, the Czech National League, and Spain’s Liga ACB.

It’s thus no surprise that his steady presence was evident in the Dyip’s 99-95 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors. Terrafirma was playing from behind for much of the game, but with Holt’s persistence, they continued to chip at the lead and complete the comeback.

There’s not much flash in Holt’s game, but that’s fine especially when the production was never in question. His drives and 3-pointers were equally damaging and as among the more talented and accomplished locals, it’s not surprising that Holt was feasting on the competition.

Apart from Juami Tiongson and the emerging Javi Gomez De Liano, there wasn’t really much to expect from the Dyip, but as Holt continues to acclimate himself with Terrafirma, the three have come out as the foundations of a franchise looking to break the cycle.

With the easier part of their schedule seemingly past them, the Dyip are going to face tougher opponents as the upstart Bossing, Phoenix Fuel Masters, and the struggling but still talented TNT Tropang Giga are their next three opponents. Terrafirma could lose all those upcoming games, but compared to previous times, their opponents won’t take them lightly.

It may be a bit of a reach to expect Stephen Holt to make changes to the Terrafirma Dyip in an instant, but the slow and steady progress should offer some promise. A championship may also be too high a bar for the Dyip at the moment, but the winning habits are starting to come to the franchise thanks to Holt and how he has blended with Terrafirma.