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JUST in
his second month with Talk ’N Text since taking over the
coaching chores from Derick Pumaren, Chot Reyes said he
is still in the process of getting to know his players.
He said
the same goes for the players, who are coping up with a
new system “that obviously predicated more on ball
movements.”
“So
there are times that we’ll struggle, so we just need to
learn to be patient with ourselves,” said Reyes during a
news conference following their 131-95 victory over the
Welcoat Dragons on Friday for a split of their first two
games in the Smart-Philippine Basketball Association
Fiesta Conference.
 Having
spent the past two years with the RP Team that came up
short of qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, Reyes
admitted his mindset still dwells on a 40-minute game
that somehow contributed to the Phone Pals’ 79-87
opening game loss against the Coca-Cola Tigers last
March 29.
“Forty
minutes lang ang coaching ko sa Davao,
eh, 48 na nga pala ito. Kaya kinapos kami sa
last eight minutes against Coke,” Reyes observed.
Reyes
acknowledges that the Phone Pals are well equipped
offensively, so his top priority is to improve the
team’s defense “in order to compete with the big boys in
the league.”
He
admits it will take some time for the Phone Pals to
fully digest his coaching philosophy. But the important
thing, he said, is the wisdom his troops will gain in
the tournament.
Two
tough games—against Red Bull this afternoon and Magnolia
on Sunday—are up ahead for TnT this week, which Reyes
said are “good tests” for his team.
“It’s a
great challenge for us. We’ll see how far we’ve gone,”
Reyes said.
The
Phone Pals and the Barakos take the floor at 4:50 p.m.,
with Red Bull aiming for its third-consecutive win to
stay abreast with the Tigers on top of the leader board.
Alaska
(1-1) and Magnolia (2-0) completes Friday’s
double-header at the Araneta Coliseum with an equally
exciting match at
7:20 p.m.
Red Bull
coach Yeng Guiao readily admitted they encountered
matchup problems against the first two teams they faced—Barangay
Ginebra and Air 21—particularly with Adam Parada, the
Barako’s seven-foot import.
“Having
the biggest import in the conference provides us an
advantage in terms of matchup,” said Guiao, although he
felt TnT’s reinforcement, Aaron McGhee, has the body and
the size to do battle with Parada.
“The
teams we have played encountered matchup problems
against us. But I feel we’ll have a tough time in
dealing with TnT,” said Guiao, noting that the Phone
Pals are a potent offensive team and Red Bull’s success
depends on how well it can defend against TnT.
“We’re
coming in with a defensive mindset and bracing for a
bruising game down low,” offered Guiao.
Guiao
said life is starting to get hard for Parada because he
has been getting more contacts and a lot more physical
players are assigned on him.
“But the
good thing about Adam is that he’s not a heavy scorer,
so he doesn’t cancel out our local talent,” Guiao said.
Parada,
a Mexican-American who played for national team of
Mexico in the Tournament of the Americas, average 28
points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in his first two
games. In contrast, McGhee is averaging 25 points and 12
rebounds per outing. |
