Magnolia’s elder statesmen, like guard Mark Barroca, are thriving under a tweaked system in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.

With minutes spread through an extended rotation, head coach Chito Victolero’s ploy of preserving fresh legs in a fast-tempo approach has been working wonders for his players — half of whom are already in their early to late 30s.

The Hotshots remain pristine after three games for the solo lead in the all-Filipino conference.

Magnolia’s new trick proved effective as Barroca stepped up at crunch time in a 98-95 overtime escape over erstwhile unbeaten San Miguel Beer last week before the Lenten break.

The 38-year-old veteran had enough fuel left in his tank — all thanks to precious minutes of rest throughout the grueling match — to drain dagger back-to-back jumpers in the last minute of the extension for the Hotshots’ 3-0 start.

“Actually, Paul (Lee) and I were talking about the new system where we play a lot faster. I guess it’s on us and our coaches how to manage our playing time,” Barroca said after finishing with seven points and seven assists.

“We need time management and good player rotation, which is happening now and yielding good results. Everyone’s getting their minutes. Coach is using a deep bench. It’s positive for us.”

Barroca struggled from the field, hitting 2-of-10 but still delivered the most important baskets.

Magnolia, actually, trailed by 14 in the third period before youngbloods Zav Lucero and rookie Jerom Lastimosa sparked the comeback as Barroca took over for the finishing touches.

“Kami ni Paul kahit matanda na, kahit may edad na, kami nina Calvin (Abueva), we’re still giving our best. As long as we get to play as leaders, that’s our new system, so we’ll continue to fight because we have a goal we want to achieve,” Barroca said.

The Hotshots, who had to claw their way into the last seat of the quarterfinals of the Commissioner’s Cup, are now enjoying a promising start.

Magnolia has not won a crown since ruling the 2018 Governors’ Cup. Its last finals appearance was in the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup where it lost to San Miguel Beer in six games.

“The successes we had from our last championship and finals appearances, we always had a good start. We’re not like Ginebra or San Miguel, which would usually push hard in the latter part of the conference. We need to play hard and establish a good rank early so that we won’t need to go through a playoff or a play-in. We want to avoid getting into a dangerous position,” Barroca said.

“So, winning three before the Holy Week break is good for us.”

The Hotshots shoot to extend their streak against Phoenix in an out-of-town game in Zamboanga City on Saturday.