Former FEU head coach and now TNT mentor Nash Racela. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Caloy Garcia believes that what he has now at Rain or Shine is a lineup that is good enough to win the PBA Philippine Cup.
But having taken over just over a month before opening day and with its cornerstone taking his act to another team, Garcia believes that the Elasto Painters are back in their infancy stage.
“It’s chemistry that we need to develop quickly,” Garcia told the Inquirer over the phone yesterday after wrapping up preparations for their 4:15 p.m. clash with Blackwater today for a piece of the elimination round lead at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
“Yes, we have the material to contend and even win,” Garcia said. “But we will still have to get used to playing with each other. We are breaking in James (Yap) slowly and Jay (Washington) is starting to learn his role in the team.”
The Painters will be coming off a 108-103 loss to Barangay Ginebra, which seemed like a won game for them coming into the last six minutes until they fired blanks in the stretch and failed to contain the Gin Kings.
“It’s in situations like that where we need to know each other a lot better,” Garcia, who took over immediately after Yeng Guiao left for NLEX, went on. “Basically, we played a good game against Ginebra, until we made some bad decisions in the endgame.”
Against Blackwater, Garcia has cautioned his wards about one other thing:
“I told them that we cannot take Blackwater for granted, because this is not the same team (that we are used to beating in the past).”
Today’s game will also give Blackwater coach Leo Isaac a gauge on how far the character of his team has developed ever since snagging the most-chased amateur in Mac Belo.
The 6-foot-4 former Far Eastern ace in the UAAP has been every inch the player he is touted to be, averaging just under 23 points and eight rebounds a contest.
Meanwhile, Nash Racela formally makes his PBA coaching debut later at 7 p.m. when TNT KaTropa shoots for a piece of the lead, and a third straight win, in its clash with Meralco.
Racela will be calling the shots starting today, though he sat beside assistant Josh Reyes for the first time last week in a victory over Blackwater.