Capital1 Solar Spikers’ coach Roger Gorayeb in the PVL All-Filipino Conference; –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines —With only a short preparation heading into the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference, Capital 1 Roger Gorayeb wants his players to dig deep and show “the passion to win” after their debut loss.
Gorayeb received a harsh welcome in his PVL return as the Solar Spikers absorbed a 6-25, 15-25, 15-25 loss to Chery Tiggo on Tuesday last week at Philsports Arena.
The veteran coach said that opening game jitters and their three-week preparation were not valid excuses for his wards, who already experienced playing in the pros.
SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024
“I didn’t come here to lose,” said the veteran coach. “At their level of experience and exposure, they shouldn’t be playing like that anymore. I don’t want to embarrass our owners. We accept we our a new team, but that’s not an excuse for us to play like that.”
Someone should’ve stepped up. There was no leader, everyone was a follower.”
Coaching a team composed of ex-pros and free agents, Gorayeb believes his players have the skills but they lacked confidence in the first game.
“If the opponent won and we lost, that’s okay. But if we lost because we didn’t put up a fight, that’s a different story,” he said. “I believe they will learn their lessons but hopefully they don’t take long.”
“Kapag matagal pa ‘yan saan na kami pupulutin sa kangkungan? Kainin kami ng kiti kiti roon.”
“I want fighters. If you’re a rookie and you come out fighting, then you will have a good future. You can’t just play cute inside the court, that’s not going to work.”
Gorayeb, though, said he will remain patient with his players, who promised to do better next game when Capital 1 battles Farm Fresh on Thursday.
“I told them I’m confident about their experience and skills,” he said. “But I was questioning their confidence level. They need to persevere and fight. Hopefully we can recover in the next game.”