Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Alaska head coach Alex Compton dismissed a report that he will no longer be the Aces’ mentor in the 2019 PBA season.
Compton called the shots for Alaska in its 85-72 loss to Rain or Shine Sunday in the Aces’ season opener.
“Last time I checked I was still coaching the game,” said Compton Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Compton added that if he would be fired the first person to tell him would be Alaska team owner Fred Uytengsu and that he’d receive the information in person and not through anything else.
“That’s Fred, he’s awesome to work for,” said Compton, who’s been to several finals with the Aces. “He will sit me down and tell me when it’s time and, when it is and if it happens, then great.”
Compton feels that the rumors began to float around during the preseason when he had to fly back to Wisconsin to take care of a personal matter.
His absence in the Aces’ tune-up games were, what he said, got the rumor mill going that he’s been let go.
There’s also the issue of the five finals losses he absorbed since 2014 that were the early fuel for the false accusations.
“I was gone for two weeks and we had a tune-up game and I wasn’t there and no coaches just leave in the preseason,” said Compton. “So it’s natural that a rumor would start.”
“The first person to tell me to go home was Fred and he told me ‘you take care of your family. Family first.’”