TNT proved last season that it can hack it despite being severely ravaged by injuries to its stars.
Nothing will change for the Tropang 5G of coach Chot Reyes—in fact, there’s a new meaning to the team’s initials for the PBA’s 50th season set to unfold on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum—Take No Talent.
“Like I said, kudos to the management and coaching staff of almost all the teams. They really did a great job recruiting and upgrading their roster and like I said, unfortunately, we didn’t have that luxury,” Reyes said. “But still, I’ll never sell my team short because I think what we have learned is really how to continue fighting and we developed a lot of grit in the process.
“Our goal really for this season is to be the best at the things that take no talent and that’s what for us TNT stands for,” he added.
Reyes’ squad slowly lost key cogs during the last cage wars from Jayson Castro, Rey Nambatac, Rogor Pogoy, Kelly Williams, and Calvin Oftana due to an assortment of injuries.
But the flagship team of the MVP Group still bagged the first two titles of the last season and nearly completed a rare Grand Slam, only to fold against mighty San Miguel Beer in the season-ending Philippine Cup last July.
Now it’s a fresh start for TNT in the import-less tilt.
“We all know how much every team has upgraded and because we didn’t have a first or second round pick, we were kind of limited in that regard, unlike the other teams,” Reyes said. “But if you look back at last season, I thought we performed pretty well. So, it’s a matter of continuing that improvement. We are by no means satisfied with how we finished the season and we hope to be able to improve on our last all-Filipino season.
“Like I said, it’s going to be very, very difficult. The other teams are certainly going to have a huge target on our backs. We have to do our best. We’re not going to start. Jayson is still not going to be able to play the first conference. We’re going to have Rey back and then Roger and Calvin are going to be 100 percent.”
