CHEMISTRY IS COACH BANAL’S NO. 1 GOAL
If there’s one thing which irked Barako Bull head coach Koy Banal in his PBA coaching debut, it is that he was called for a technical foul.
“May buena mano akong technical agad,” he said. “Rookie referee ang tumawag eh. Sabi ko sa kanya, kung kakilala nya lang ako, he can ask (referees) Sherwin (Pineda) at Nol Quilingen kasi di ko minumura ang mga referee. Pero tinechnical nya ako.”
But overall, Banal is just happy that the Energy competed in their first game out, dropping a 112-108 double overtime heartbreaker to Meralco on Wednesday.
“The plan was just to make the game close. I’m just thankful that the players gave their best and they made it close,” Banal said.
Tasked to handle the reins for the Energy barely four days before their first game of the season, Banal was really put in a precarious position of adapting quickly to the style of the PBA.
But he says that he did not change much given their short time of preparation.
“Wala kaming binago. Even if you have one month to prepare, you can only do so much, so we just had some tweaking na ginawa ng konti. The system of coach Siot (Tangquingcen) is still there,” he said.
However, his emphasis for this squad will be on its chemistry, saying, “Having been a part of coach Tim (Cone’s coaching staff), it’s always the chemistry that will help you in trying times. Kahit saan yun outside basketball, if your family stays together, any problem you can withstand.”
And it helps that they aren’t relying on a superstar to help them achieve their goals.
“Yun ang maganda sa amin, we don’t have a legit superstar. We want to give everybody equal opportunity. Chemistry ang number one goal namin, to stay together, dapat maniwala kami sa sistema, sa isa’t isa para mag-work yung sistema,” Banal said.
When asked what the team is shooting for in his first conference at the helm, Banal frankly said,”Quarterfinals. Ayaw naming ma-out muna.” (RL)
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