‘Outcoached’ in Phoenix’s 0-3 start, Vanguardia savors first win

Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

After a career that has seen him in the sidelines of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association, NCAA, and Asean Basketball League, Ariel Vanguardia has had quite a coaching experience.

And yet, Vanguardia couldn’t help but savor his first win as head coach of the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the PBA.

“It’s sweet kasi kumbaga dito talaga sa PBA ang tindi ng laban, very quick sa adjustment yung mga coaches so we have to be very sharp,” he said after Phoenix’s 120-107 conquest of GlobalPort on Sunday.

The 43-year-old mentor knows the tough field that he has to face when he accepted the offer to call the shots for the Fuel Masters.

But he feels it’s a road with trials and tribulations serving as essential lessons as he aspires to further improve his craft.

Though his first three games all ended up in defeats, Vanguardia admits that those games allowed his team to assess itself and prepare for the breakthrough win it rightfully deserved in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup.

“I have to admit on those games that we lost, I got outcoached in the fourth quarter. Dito sa PBA, makurap ka lang, mawawala na yung lamang mo. Buti sa game na ito, nawala yung lamang namin pero hindi kami nag-panic. Sa mga ibang games kasi, nag-panic kami at gusto namin agad bawiin sa shoot, hindi sa depensa. So it’s a necessary learning rin na it’s a game of adjustments sa mga coaches,” he said.

Vanguardia also noted a number of similarities here in Phoenix to his old job as an assistant for coach Bill Bayno in Talk ‘N Text back in 2001.

“Ganoon yung nakikita ko sa team na ito eh, mix of veterans saka mga young blood,” he said. “I’ve been into rebuilding teams and ganoon talaga yung mga rebuilding team, nag-uumpisa sa mga talo. Ang importante natuto kami sa mga talo, but ang mahirap lang doon is it took us three games to learn na yung fourth quarter, kailangang pangalagaan namin. It’s part of the process. Ang maganda naman, the management has full support sa sistema na gusto naming i-build dito and yung mga players bought in to that. Though natatalo kami, nakikita ko sa practice na enthusiastic pa rin sila.”

“Nakikita ko naman sa kanila na nagta-try sila, but we still have to earn respect of the league, of the other teams, of the other coaches, of the referees especially, na we can play a different kind of game kasi iba yung game namin sa iba eh, fast paced. Parang organized chaos nga yung laro namin.”

Fortunately for Vanguardia, his team is now showing the character winning teams possess, with the arrival of veteran guard Cyrus Baguio and high-scoring import Eugene Phelps providing the boost the team needs to compete in this third conference.

“Down in the fourth quarter, alam na namin na pupunta kami kay Cyrus or pupunta kami kay Eugene, at alam na nila yung role nila,” he said. “Nakita ko na yung progress. Sana ngayon matuto kami while winning naman kasi we dropped already three games and we have to be in the hunt.”

Breaking that glass ceiling with this victory, Vanguardia shared that the best is yet to come for Phoenix.

“Very crucial yung next game namin. Kumbaga, yun yung game of the conference for us kasi pag nalusutan namin yung Mahindra, we’re back in business, we’re back in the hunt, nandun na kami sa gitna. Kumbaga, makikita mo na kayang umakyat pa pag nalusutan namin yung next game,” he said.