Victolero: Star needs to ‘refocus, stay together’ after loss to Gins

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

It may just be Star’s first defeat in five games, but head coach Chito Victolero said the Hotshots’ 113-98 loss to the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings on Sunday served as a reminder that his team still has a lot to work on in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

“It’s just one loss, but we have a long way to go. We need to refocus again and stay together,” he said.

Victolero took responsibility for the loss saying that he did a poor job of preparing his team.

“I told them it’s my fault because I did not prepare them mentally for this game. The locals knew that this is an emotional game but it’s really different once you’re in the game. We learned a lot from this,” he said.

One of those lessons, Victolero said, is for Tony Mitchell, who let his emotions get the better of him as the large Ginebra crowd got to his head.

“He experienced Manila Clasico for the first time and that’s what we’re reiterating to him even before the game. We can’t give up and we need to fight until the very end,” he said.

But that’s not just for the import, as Victolero lamented that the whole team must be able to pull off important wins as the Hotshots seek to prove that they are legit title contenders this conference.

“That’s all I’m asking for from them, that we get important games like this against strong teams. There are tougher teams ahead, so we need to prepare our players not just physically but mentally,” he said. “We need to regroup, refocus, and refresh to see the things we need to improve on. Let’s move forward.”