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Multi-titled coach Frankie Lim is tempering expectations for Perpetual in his first year as head coach.
And replicating his past success with the Red Lions is definitely far from Lim’s mind.
“We’re not a strong team,” Lim admitted after his first game at the helm for Altas on Monday.
Lim, however, had a good first impression with the team after Perpetual raced to a nine-point lead, 27-19, in the second quarter against Che’Lu Bar and Grill-San Sebastian.
“We looked good in the first half and they surprised me. It felt like we were together for so long and I told the guys that they are playing beyond our expectations. I was just so happy that our shots are going in, we ran the floor very well, execution was almost perfect,” he said.
But the Altas could not sustain their hot start and fell to the Revellers, 83-70, as immaturity got the better of his squad according to Lim.
“The eagerness of the players to get the job done right away came in the second half. They were rushing things. And when our opponents fought back, we were rattled,” he observed.
But Lim already has zeroed in on someone who he believes can be Perpetual’s anchor in its forthcoming games: Prince Eze.
“This guy is playing a lot better compared to last year, which is the time I saw him in the NCAA,” he said after the Nigerian big man posted 15 points, 11 rebounds, and seven blocks in the defeat.
“Last year, he doesn’t get the ball much. I’ve been talking to him almost every day, telling him that it’s his last year and I’m giving him a lot of offensive options for him and he just has to embrace that and he has to deliver.”
Despite the loss, the 57-year-old remains optimistic with this team as he continues his preparations for the upcoming collegiate season later this year.
“Right now, the players are still wild. They really looked good when they make good decisions. But that’s the problem I have, because they feel like they’re in a tryout stage. They want to shine and show the coach that they deserve a spot,” Lim said. “But I’m positive. We just want to have experience and the realization that it takes a team to win. You cannot win by yourself. You have to be unselfish and you have to commit to the system.”