Phoenix not one-trick pony anymore     

After allowing its big men the leeway to display their wares in the PBA On Tour, Phoenix is hoping that it will no longer be regarded as a one-dimensional team once the real battles swing around in October.

“We were very guard-oriented last conference,” said Fuel Masters assistant coach Willie Wilson when asked about the consistent showing put up by the team’s big men halfway into the exhibition series.

“We challenged our bigs to start stepping up and to start contributing, and they’re doing that,” said Wilson, who handled Phoenix’s last two games in the On Tour with coach Jamike Jarin in the United States to attend the wedding of his niece.

The On Tour started with Raul Soyud putting up double-double numbers before sitting out the recent games. Larry Muyang has shown consistency while Chris Lalata and Simon Camacho showed some promise of being solid contributors with their productions of late.

If those can be carried over into the season-opener in October, Phoenix should help ease the load off the likes of Tyler Tio and Javee Mocon.

“All the work that they’re putting in day in and day out, obviously that goes unseen. But what you’re seeing (in the games) is the work that they’ve put up in practice,” added Wilson.

Soyud was leading Phoenix in scoring at 16 points while hauling down 10.8 rebounds and blocking 1.2 shots, even as Muyang has produced 14.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks before Phoenix played Blackwater at press time on Sunday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The lanky Lalata has been solid as well with 9.8 points and 7.3 rebounds while Camacho normed nine points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-best 1.7 blocks.

The focus on getting better in the middle doesn’t mean, however, that Phoenix isn’t working on the rest of its lineup, including the backcourt.

Reden Celda, who was acquired along with center Tzaddy Rangel from NLEX in exchange for Ben Adamos, is scoring 13 points on a 38-percent clip in the 28.2-minute average playing time. INQ