NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao. PBA IMAGES
So far, so good for NLEX.
Coach Yeng Guiao is happy with the way his team performing early in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup despite its first defeat, a 106-93 loss to Meralco, on Saturday.
“That’s part of the growing up process. We have to be subjected to different situations, different trials in order for us to strengthen our resolve as a team,” he said.
Guiao expressed content with the pace his new team is embracing his unorthodox system in the last two months.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more because in the past two months that we’ve been together, everything I see is positive,” he said.
And this early, the semblance of his old squads are starting to arise.
Big men like Asi Taulava, Bradwyn Guinto, and Raul Soyud haven’t shied away from taking threes and running the floor, while the rest of the team have shown unselfishness, opting to take the extra pass in search of open looks and easier baskets.
And though the Road Warriors dropped a game for the first time since he took over, Guiao had no problems with it knowing that his team fought until the end.
“This is the first time we’ve lost since I have been here. We had preseason and invitational tournaments in the offseason and it’s only now that we lost. I still see it as a good sign,” he said, as NLEX lost control of the game late when Chris Newsome and rookie Ed Daquioag took over for the Bolts.
“I think the important thing here is we give ourselves a chance to win every game. At least, they were showing that they were trying to fight it out and to me, when you build the team’s character from the start, yun muna yung mga signs na hinahanap ko.”
With the way things are going, Guiao is bold enough to envision NLEX treading uncharted waters, as he seeks to tow the franchise to its first semifinals appearance.
“This is our first conference together and we’ve playing against teams that have been together a long time. I’m still positive about our future. I still feel confident that we can break new grounds this year. I’m not really sure how soon we can do it, but looking at the prospects, this year would be good enough if we make it to the semis,” he said. “We haven’t been in the semis since NLEX came in the league and if we can do that in our first year together, that would be a good accomplishment.”
Guiao, though, was quick to catch himself with still a long way to go in the conference.
“It’s still early in the all-Filipino and we still don’t know what will happen. But if we can mature together in a short time, then maybe we can keep ourselves in the running.”