IT WOULD just be the first week of the PBA Governors Cup, but at the end of it Alaska should be feeling as if the tournament is halfway through by then.
“I don’t know why that is, ganyan na naman ang schedule namin. Pero we just have to grind and bear it,” said coach Jeff Cariaso whose Aces take on the NorthPort Batang Pier today in a match kicking off the PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The match actually starts a very hectic first week for Alaska, which duels San Miguel Beer on Friday before meeting Ginebra on Sunday, prompting Cariaso to believe his team’s conditioning should come into play.
“Actually, doon ako very happy. Siyempre kailangang i-translate into game. Pero for me, going into this new conference, feeling ko eto ‘yung baga best shape namin compared to the last two conferences,” said Cariaso.
“So, I think, physically, mas fit ang mga players to play. For us malaking bagay iyon kasi siyempre kung wala ka sa kondisyon hindi mo magagawa gusto mo, eh,” added Cariaso.
Like Alaska and NorthPort, SMB and NLEX start off on their own road to redemption when they square off in the nightcap.
NLEX would be without Raul Soyud and Kris Porter, who are recovering from a knee surgery and Achilles injury, respectively, but hopes to fill up that frontcourt void by tapping KJ McDaniels as import, trading for Marion Magat and re-activating Asi Taulava for a last tour of duty.
Those moves should pale in comparison to those made by SMB.
The Beermen made perhaps the biggest splash after the last Philippine Cup, trading for Vic Manuel and Simon Enciso in a pair of moves that added fresh legs to their lineup even though they lost Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot in the process.
“I hope maganda ang ilaro namin. Okay naman mga practices. ‘Yung mga bago, slowly, nakukuha na nila sistema, nakaka-adjust na,” related SMB coach Leo Austria.
In the meantime, however, Manuel would be seeing limited action as a reliever as he has just recently fully recovered from a groin injury while Chris Ross remains in the US to attend the funeral of his father. Austria hopes import Brandon Brown would fill up the holes in his team.
“Hindi siya athletic, but because of his experience and basketball IQ, I think he knows what to do,” said Austria.
Getting off on the right foot is also a must for NorthPort and Alaska, who also figured prominently in the wheelings and dealings which took place in the last couple of months in showcasing their determination to come up with much better performances than in the last Philippine Cup.
Gone from the Aces are team veteran Jayvee Casio and sophomore Barkley Ebona and in their stead is former Blackwater guard Mike Tolomia, who Cariaso hopes would shore up his backcourt more and thus help lift the team from an 11th place finish in the season-opening tourney.
For its part, NorthPort pulled off perhaps one of the biggest coups last month when it got Santos from SMB before capping its moves by acquiring Art dela Cruz from Ginebra.
In the process, the Batang Pier lost Sean Anthony and Sidney Onwubere, but coach Pido Jarencio believes he now has a more formidable frontcourt with Santos, Greg Slaughter and import Cameron Forte.
“Mabigat na tatlo na iyon,” quipped Jarencio, adding Santos’ addition would allow him to let Kevin Ferrer and Jamie Malonzo to play their natural positions at the wings while having big men Troy Rike and Jeepy Faundo in reserve.
“Alam naman nating much improved ‘yung lineup nila,” said Cariaso. “Very strong, ang galing ng mga guards nila led by (Robert) Bolick and then there’s Greg, who I’m sure is ready to play.”
Still, Cariaso believes his team, to be led by import Olu Ashaolu, is ready. “Everyone’s healthy, we’re excited and maganda naman preparation namin the last six weeks,” he said.
