BELGA GETS COACH YENG’S IRE
“Ganun talaga, babawi na lang ako sa next game. Nasaktan ako, gumanti ako. Hindi ko naisip consequences”.
This was the statement of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters hardline bigman Beau Belga a few minutes after his team lost to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 79-77.
Belga, who stayed behind on his locker room seat 20 minutes longer than his teammates, admitted that his offensive foul on Rico Maierhofer with less than 3 minutes remaining proved to be the turning point of the ballgame.
“May chance pa sana kami umiskor nun. 3-on-2 fastbreak na yun, pinagalitan ko talaga siya (Belga). I made it known to him that I was not happy with that decision,” stated Coach Yeng Guiao.
Guiao asserted that Belga’s “immaturity cost (us) the ballgame.”
“We lost by 2 points, it now means a lot. Beau is a young player. I expected more of him coming from a championship,” added the fiery coach.
Asked by pba.ph if it was his brand of play he wants his player to do on the hardcourt, Guiao stressed, “Definitely not, that’s a stupid play! It’s not the physicality that we want, it’s not our brand of play and it’s not a smart move.”
Aside from Belga, a Rain or Shine source told me that Guiao also gave all his players a tongue lashing, and that includes streak shooter Jeff Chan, who seemed hesitant to take open jumpers almost the whole game.
“Inisa-isa kami ni Coach, you wouldn’t want to be inside the dug-out. Ultimo matagal na pagtawag ni Gabe ng time-out at yung paghawak ni Paul ng bola, na-bring up”, stated our source.
Meanwhile, pba.ph also found out that Ginebra’s practice Saturday will be held behind closed doors. Meaning, fans and media will not be allowed at the Reyes Gym in Mandaluyong.
A Ginebra source told pba.ph that Coach Siot Tanquincen ordered this so his players will be solely focused on the task at hand – to barge into the semifinals.
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