Racela after TNT loss to Star: ‘Change doesn’t happen overnight’

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

TNT coach Nash Racela said that for the team to turn things around, the KaTropa must be willing to embrace necessary changes.

“From day one, I’ve been telling them that there has to be changes. I’ve been calling out their attentions, their names, on what they have to change. Change doesn’t happen overnight,” said Racela. 

“It’s not just letting you know of your mistake and the next day, things will change. I think they are still deciding if what we’re saying was right or wrong, and they have to think about that first before they even start changing those things,” he added. “And I hope we do that in time for the playoffs.”

Sent to a two-game tailspin after their 88-77 defeat to the Star Hotshots on Sunday, the KaTropa are now in a precarious position as they join a five-team logjam in fifth with a 4-4 card.

And TNT has nothing to blame for the defeat but itself after starting slow and falling behind by 17, 56-39, at halftime.

The KaTropa went on a spirited rally but they dug themselves a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

“We dug a hole in the first half being down by 17. It changed in the second half, we had a better effort, everything was better in the second half, but we were already down big so it was really hard,” said Racela.

Racela said he’s not alarmed with his team’s situation, but rather, is keeping his hopes up that the players will eventually buy into the change he is trying to establish.

“There’s still a lot of things that we need to correct up to this point. My pitch every time to them is to play that way for 48 minutes. We can’t have an on-and-off switch,” he said.

“I think it’s a question of desire. The players should be the ones answering that. As a coach, we just try to encourage them and remind them of the things they have to do.”

And he’s wishing that will happen as soon as possible as TNT looks forward to its final three games against Mahindra, GlobalPort and No. 1 San Miguel.

“Our mindset is to still get as much wins because your position after the eliminations, you don’t have control over,” he said. “We’ll try to win every game and wherever we end up, we just have to prepare for the next battle. If it gives us best-of-three or a twice-to-beat disadvantage, we just have to take that.”