“We had a team bonding session, practice and more practice,” coach Chito Victolero said over the phone on Tuesday just after the last of those workouts with his undefeated Hotshots. “The team really wants to play, it’s the competition they long for.”
The Hotshots spent two days at Pico de Loro and bonded very well. To give his boys some form of competition, Victolero had them play soccer and bowling.
True competition happens Wednesday as the Hotshots try to stay on top of the heap in the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations against a Phoenix Petroleum side that is reeling from four straight losses and is looking for a win to right the ship, so to speak.
Game time is 7 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay with the Hotshots solidly favored to rise to 4-0, most especially after hearing what Victolero has to say about the team’s eagerness to get back on the court.
“Though we have had no competition, our preparation for Phoenix went very well,” he said. “You can see it in the way the players moved. They really want to play and they really want to win.”
Malcolm Hill will lead Star, which has a testy stretch coming.
“We have three tough games lined up,” Victolero said. “And this game [versus the Fuel Masters] can certainly help us get into a better mindset come those games.”
Meanwhile, Blackwater, which has surpassed its Governors’ Cup performance the last two seasons (one win each) after just five games this conference, shoots for a third straight win and will try to add to Alaska’s woes in the 4:15 p.m. contest.
Henry Walker has come in to revitalize the Elite and will pose a challenge to coach Alex Compton and the Aces.