By Dave Coros
NOBODY would like to be in Alex Compton’s shoes.
The Alaska coach just got into the records books reserved only for the disgraced. All because he and his Aces allowed a golden opportunity to slip away and became the first Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team to lose in a seven-game title series after taking a 3-0 advantage.
No one saw it coming. Not even Compton, one who never entertained losing streaks and would always move on to the next things in front of him.
“The results will happen. Some of those you do everything you can to control. But I don’t control everything, if I did we’d won one of four,” he offered.
It hurts. And this one will linger a little longer than the anguish they went through after losing last year’s title series against practically the same San Miguel team, which beat them also in seven games.
But that’s the price Compton and his men have to pay for allowing a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for redemption to slip away.
“I don’t want to wax philosophical but as painful as this is, I’m the coach who set a record on the bad side. And as painful as this is, there’s a lot of people that has to deal with this worse stuff. Deep inside, my heart is painful because it is,” admitted Compton, who gamely went ahead of winning Coach Leo Austria for the postgame press conference.
The afterthought of Wednesday night’s downfall must be a lot more painful for Team Alaska. They will try to figure out what went wrong but there’s nothing they could do. They can’t right the ship anymore.
Last year it was Arwind Santos who delivered the killer—a three-pointer—late in regulation and San Miguel went on to win Game Seven in overtime and claim its fifth all-Filipino championship. This time around, a rugged guard named Chris Ross made the difference. The eventual Finals Most Valuable Player riddled the Aces with timely threes that turned things around for San Miguel, which tied San Mig Coffee for the most all-Filipino crowns with six.
“I never had a game plan for Chris Ross. He hit four threes. I gave him a hug afterward and told him later he’s a winner. He’s huge, I don’t know when was the last time he went four-for-six in a PBA Finals, but in Game Seven a nonshooter stepped up and absolutely stroke the ball, I mean, he looked like Marcio Lassiter out there. All the things that he brings, I mean, he definitely wasn’t part of my game plan,” revealed Compton, who could only commiserate with his players.
Even in his darkest moment, though, Compton has displayed a great sense of sportsmanship. He gamely accepted defeat and congratulated the San Miguel organization and Austria for a job well done.
“San Miguel is the deserving champion. I have nothing to say. They beat us three times in a row. But there’s not another team on this planet that I would rather coach than the guys in that locker room. We’re all brokenhearted right now. I wish I have done something to deliver that for them. I wish I had but I didn’t. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to coach such a fine group of gentlemen,” Compton said.