UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Infusing a new system and flawlessly running it doesn’t happen overnight.
For NLEX, even five weeks isn’t enough.
Jonas Villanueva explained that the root cause for their inconsistencies and struggles can still be attributed to the players not knowing the system that well.
“If you have a system and you believe in it, talagang mas consistent ka, and eventually, you’ll win games, just like Rain or Shine,” he said.
Moments after falling to Rain or Shine in a close 95-93 squeaker, Villanueva rues the missed chance for the Road Warriors in the end game which could have helped in their ascent in the standings.
If KG Canaleta just converted on their second alley-oop play in the last 26 seconds, NLEX might have iced the game and tilted the cards more to their favor. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to be, as they eventually lost to the E-Painters, dropping them to 3-5.
“Yung mga plays na ganun, coach just draws it eh. Di namin pinapractice yung ganun. Depende na lang kung sino ang open kanina,” he said. “Kung nanalo kami kanina, we could’ve been in a better position. Pero we just have to gather ourselves and play better on Friday.”
But turning to the other side of the coin, there are a lot of things for Jonas to be thankful for this season, with the most obvious being his well-being.
“I’m blessed kasi nabigyan ulit ako ng chance. The past two to three years, sunod-sunod ang injuries ko, di pa ako nakakarecover totally, and I was never 100 percent when I played in Air21. This year, I was really focused sa knee and sa physical wellness ko. Yung game, darating naman yan eh. I just have to be ready physically,” he said.
And Villanueva is just treasuring the trust given to him by coach Boyet Fernandez to once again be the lead playmaker for NLEX.
“Sobrang happy ako kasi binigyan ako ng chance to run a team again just like way back in San Miguel pa. Kahit paano, may laban kami,” he said. “Ako, I want to help this team. I’m up to the challenge. And it’s up to me na lang para magdeliver.” (RL)
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.
