Kia Sorentos pay playing-coach Pacquiao a visit in GenSan

GEN. SANTOS CITY—The Kia Sorentos may be bereft of stars, but they will be competitive in the PBA. Coach Glenn Capacio made this assessment Monday as he and the Sorentos paid playing-coach Manny Pacquiao a surprise visit at the world champion’s mansion at Barangay City Heights here.

“We may not be as talented and experienced as the other teams, but we’ll be competitive,” said Capacio. “The players are all dedicated and hard-working and that’s what Manny wants.”

“At this stage, winning is secondary. We want to build the team’s character.” Capacio said the players are responding well to the training regimen he prepared together with assistant coaches Rob Wainwright and Chito Victolero.

As proof, the Sorentos have put up a creditable showing in their buildup for the PBA Philippine Cup, where they will debut against fellow newcomer Blackwater Elite in the inaugural game on Oct. 19at Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

In their practice games, the Sorentos beat Barangay Ginebra and Kuwait while losing to Qatar, Alaska and Rain or Shine.

One thing going for the Sorentos, Capacio said, is their unpredictability. “We have no fixed starting five.”

Expected to be given ample playing time are the experienced guys like Chad Alonzo, Eder John Saldua, Reil Cervantes, Rudy Linganay, Mike Burtscher, Hans Thiele, Rich Alvarez, Chito Jaime and Paul Sanga, as well as the promising Kenneth Ighalo, LA Revilla and Alvin Padilla.

Completing the Sorentos who attended the dedication service of Pacquiao’s youngest child, Israel, were JR Buensuceso, Joshua Webb, Angelus Raymundo and Hyram Bagatsing.

They were accompanied by Columbian Autocar Corp. president Ginia Domingo, team manager Eric Pineda, assistant manager Joe Ramos and public relations coordinator Jake Joson.

Pacquiao, who is still in the conditioning phase of his preparation for his World Boxing Organization welterweight showdown with Chris Algieri on Nov. 23 in Macau, promised to be present during the Sorentos’ exhibition game with the Elite in Biñan, Laguna, on Oct. 4.