FOR Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso, there is an advantage and disadvantage to the uncertainty surrounding the PBA season kick-off.
“In a way, good thing because we have more time to assimilate our new players, for them to really know our system, the Alaska culture,” Cariaso told Malaya-Business Insight.
“But also, parang nagiging boring na rin kasi nga we’ve been practicing among ourselves for over a month now,” added Cariaso.
“Meron na ring impatience and one way you can see that is how the players keep asking, ‘When is the season really starting? When are we going to play actual games?’”
An answer may be forthcoming in a projected meeting by Commissioner Willie Marcial with the IATF, with the former making a presentation to back up his earlier letter of request for the pro league to finally start its long-delayed season.
Marcial had earlier said he expects the meeting to be held either later yesterday or today.
Pending such approval, the PBA teams can’t do anything but continue practicing outside of Metro Manila and provinces under the so-called NCR Plus after the government extended the stricter GCQ version in those areas until July 15.
Metro Manila, Rizal and Bulacan are still under GCQ with some restrictions, meaning indoor training remains prohibited there.
As a result of such restrictions imposed since last March after a surge in coronavirus infections, the PBA teams have been holding their full-contact practices in provinces with more relaxed quarantine levels, like Batangas, Pampanga, Zambales and Ilocos Norte.
