Compton assures Aces have moved on from PBA PH Cup finals defeat to Beermen
Alex Compton. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
He should be enjoying the rare break in their campaign, a luxury Alaska earned by putting away GlobalPort in just five games of their best-of-seven semifinal series and clinching the first Finals berth in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup.
But instead of getting some rest and taking a while for some peace and quiet before returning to the battle field for the “Mother of all Battles,” Alaska coach Alex Compton chose to stay glued to his job.
He was all business on Thursday evening, silently picking up a seat at the Patron corner of the Smart Araneta Coliseum and attentively watched Game 5 of the other semifinal series between defending champion San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine.
As things stand, the Aces won’t return to action any sooner than Sunday, granting the other best-of-seven affair doesn’t go the distance. But Compton wouldn’t want to leave anything to chance.
“We are scouting to make sure we are prepared in every way possible for the Finals. Last year we lost the All-Filipino by 1 possession. We are doing everything we can to find that one possession,” rued the low-keyed Compton, when told he should be taking a day-off.
Born here but grew up in the States, the Alaska coach swears the team has moved on from the painful defeat they suffered against San Miguel in last year’s AFC but keeps his fingers crossed that his chargers have learned from it.
“I believe last year’s defeat is over. San Miguel won and they deserved it. This year, whoever we play in the Finals, we need to take the lessons from last year and have a better performance,” Compton said.
That should better serve as a reminder for the Aces, especially with Compton acknowledging that Alaska won’t have any luxury against either the Beermen or the Elasto Painters, who will be just as determined to clinch the All-Filipino championship.
“I don’t think that we are any more or any less motivated than the two other remaining teams to win the All-Filipino championship. Everyone knows it means the most to win the All-Filipino and the other teams want to win that title too. Hopefully, we can just be the sharper team and execute our game plans to perfection.”
On Tuesday team big boss Wilfred Uytengsu told scribes, “I don’t care who we play as long as we win.”
Some quarters took the statement as some kind of push from Uytengsu, whose team was swept by San Miguel in last year’s season-ending Governors’ Cup Finals. Compton swears there was no such attempt.
“There is always pressure in our sport to win. It is the nature of the business. But in terms of us feeling over, hearing pressure from Fred? No, I think he is excellent at motivating us and encouraging us and I think that will help bring out the best in us,” Compton said.
If he has his way, would he rather pick San Miguel over Rain or Shine to be their Finals opponent for a shot at redemption?
“We don’t choose our opponents at any time. We play who is in front of us and always focus on bringing the best in every way we can. My respect for both teams in the other semifinal is through the roof,” Compton stressed. (Dave Coros)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
