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WHEN San
Miguel-Team Pilipinas was formed, one of the coaching
staff’s first goals was to develop camaraderie among the
players.
The
Nationals don’t feel like they’re just teammates now;
they’re brothers in arms.
“The
camaraderie is awesome,” Tony de la Cruz said. “I can’t
put it in words. Everyone gets along. We joke with each
other. And we still respect each other. It’s about
getting to know how one plays and how to play with each
other.”
“It’s a
close group of guys,” Jimmy Alapag seconded. “We’ve been
to a lot of battles over the course of the past few
months, and the real war is going to start in Japan. And
that bond that exists among us, it’s going to be key to
our goal of going to the Olympics.”
“Kahit
sinong player sa PBA gugustuhing maglaro
sa ganitong klaseng team,” Ranidel de Ocampo added.
“Bukod sa marami kang matututunan, pinaglalaban n’yo
‘yung pride ng bansa mo saka masayang grupo kami.”
Sixteen
weeks being together and four trips abroad can do
wonders to a team seeking the perfect on- and off-court
chemistry necessary in the high-stakes stage known as
international basketball.
When
they’re not wearing their game faces, the players are
loose.
“’Yun
ang maganda sa team na ‘to. Mababait lahat, saka
puro nakakatawa,” Kerby Raymundo said. “Nakakatawa
kasi, halimbawa, sina Mick saka si Asi [Taulava]
ang lalaki nila pero para silang mga bata na nagre-wrestling
sa
kama.”
“Masaya
talaga ’tong team na ’to,” Raymundo added.
“When a
guy has a particularly good game, we all kind of make
fun of him so he’s not so mayabang or something,”
de la Cruz, whose last stint was in
Belgrade
before being injured, said. “But if a guy is obviously
struggling, the team does its best to pick him up.”
De la
Cruz, who had to sit out the Jones Cup because of
injury, remembered an instance in the Belgrade trip when
Mick Pennisi had a good offensive game, and Pennisi was
like riding high.
“On the
bus,” de la Cruz said, “we just let Mick have it.”
“It
works out because we’re keeping each other in check,” de
la Cruz continued. “Because we don’t forget what this is
all about. This is all about the Philippines going to
the Olympics and not about one individual.”
When
asked who he thought is the biggest jokester in the
group, de la Cruz didn’t think twice.
“Mick
Pennisi. We all kind of team up against him, because he
pulls the most practical jokes.”
“I think
it’s probably a tie between Mark Caguioa and Mick,”
Jimmy Alapag said. “It definitely keeps the mood light
sometimes because most of the time it’s purely
business.”
“It’s
kind of funny the way we play in the PBA, constantly
battling each other. And to be on the same side, it’s a
great feeling. All the guys have had respect for one
another right from the beginning and I think it’s helped
our progression the past few months.”
The
coaching staff used to employ a Fil-Am/Pinoy policy for
room assignments.
“Pero
naging paiba-iba rin,” de Ocampo, who’s been
roommates with Pennisi, Dondon Hontiveros and his idol
Danny Seigle, said. “Kasi sa dami ng biyahe namin,
dumating na din sa point na ‘O, mamili na kayo ng
roommate n’yo kung sinong gusto n’yo.”
De la
Cruz said he thinks the team knows fully how to draw the
line between having fun and getting down to business.
“People
pull practical jokes, and get under other people’s skin
but there is an understanding that it’s just for fun,
and when its time to play, its time to play.”
“To be
honest, no one guy just stands out,” Alapag said, when
asked who thought was the team’s best player. “You
really get to admire the work ethic of everyone, the
talent of the other guys because again, when you play
for the mother team in the PBA, you don’t get to see
that a lot on a day-to-day basis.”
“Again,
it’s been a great experience and all we’re looking
forward to now is getting to Japan and getting a slot in
the Olympics.”
So none
of the camaraderie goes to waste. |
