MAGNOLIA has prepared hard for this PBA season, including any disruption in the Philippine Cup.
It’s now a matter of seeing how well the Hotshots’ collective mindset holds and stays focused in what looks like another long wait for the resumption of the season-opening conference.
Coach Chito Victolero is foremost among those eager to find out how his efforts and those of his staff in the pre-season would pan out.
“Before the start of the tournament nag-usap-usap na kami, na it’s not normal nga ngayon.
Sometimes baka matigil nga, tulad sa (last year’s Philippine Cup) bubble, na natigil tayo. I gave them an example kung ano and puwedeng mangyari,” Victolero told Malaya-Business Insight.
“Right now, ganoon na nga,” added Victolero. “So mula ng matigil tayo… binalikan ko lang sa kanila. Ang sabi ko, basta kung anuman ang kontrolado namin, doon kami mag-focus.
‘Yung hindi namin controlled, huwag naming masyadong intindihin.”
The PBA voluntarily stopped play last Wednesday before the government announced the National Capital Region would be placed under ECQ from Aug. 6-20.
In response to the PBA’s letter of request for its games to be transferred to Lipa, Batangas, the IATF announced last Friday that the pro league is only allowed to play in areas under General Community Quarantine and Modified GCQ.
That means the Batangas sojourn is off since the province has just been placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions starting last Friday, forcing the PBA to look elsewhere to play its games earlier than Aug. 20, with Pampanga emerging as a prime candidate anew since it is currently under MGCQ.
Playing in a bubble set-up like in last year’s edition in Clark is also a distinct possibility to ensure that all PBA and team personnel involved would avoid the coronavirus infections which have been encroaching on the league and throughout the country and the world.
But a bubble entails a cost of upwards of P65 million like last year and that is a huge financial blow league officials are unwilling to spend again.
That means the most viable and feasible option for the PBA is to just wait it out until NCR eases to a less restrictive quarantine level or an area would be found where the league could utilize a home-venue-home routine.
Through the temporary stoppage means Magnolia’s impetus could be affected and its 4-0 start — the best in the conference thus far — may be cut short. But Victolero only shrugged off that scenario.
“Momentum, nakakahinayang. But you’ll gain another momentum pagbalik, kung ready ka. Kung hindi ka ready, mahihirapan ka,” Victolero reasoned out.
