Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia. PBA IMAGES
Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia didn’t see a lot of things to be pleased with in the Fuel Masters’ opening game loss to the Blackwater Elite Wednesday.
Vanguardia rued his team’s poor play on both ends, highlighting its 23 turnovers and inconsistencies on the defensive end.
“It’s tough. We didn’t do a pretty good job of taking care of our possessions. That was the biggest thing for us. We had a lot of turnovers,” said Vanguardia following Phoenix’s 94-87 defeat. “We weren’t executing well. Credit also to Blackwater’s defense.”
“We cannot play defense by spurts, there were a few defensive possessions but we weren’t able to sustain it.”
The absence of its highly-touted rookie Matthew Wright also played a factor as per Vanguardia.
“We were caught by surprise by that also, he was playing major minutes in the offseason for us,” said Vanguardia. “But good thing Gelo stepped up today, that’s a few positives that we could look forward to.”
Wright’s PBA debut was moved to a later date after the Fil-Canadian swingman suffered from food poisoning.
“We hope to have Matt back by the next game.”