MANILA, Philippines—Globalport bowed down again Wednesday night, but head coach Glenn Capacio is keeping his head up.
Though the Batang Pier remains at the bottom of the standings with a 1-6 card, Capacio remains upbeat about the squad’s performance.
“Hats off ako sa mga bata; kahit ganito record namin hindi ako nahihiya,” said Capacio as he talked to the media after the 78-82 setback against San Mig Coffee.
“Para sa akin, sa tinakatakbo ng team, may pinapatunguhan. Hindi man ngayon, pero I am positive,” added Capacio.
And Capacio has every right to believe his squad’s fortunes is going to turn around—though hopefully, sooner than later.
For starters, Globalport—trying to make a Cinderella run on the first year of the new franchise—is no pushover, as its record might suggest.
If pushing contenders like San Mig Coffee, Talk N’ Text and Meralco to the brink of defeat is any indication, the Batang Pier has put up a tough stand all conference long.
But with a young team—though with a seasoned core—like theirs, closing out on tough stretches remains to be the biggest culprit.
“Gusto ko maging consistent ang team. Kaso kailangan namin matutunan yung finishing the game,” said Capacio.
The Batang Pier, off to a good second half, just needed to preserve a 17-point lead in the payoff period to nab that elusive second victory.
But when the Mixers toughened up on defense, Globalport saw its lead stolen away at the most crucial point in the game when James Yap made it 79-78 with 38.8 seconds left.
Willie Miller, who has been the offensive cornerstone in the absence of Gary David, had a chance to regain the edge but missed.
Capacio insists, though, that Miller remains the best option down the stretch.
“Kahit anong mangyari, bilang coach nila, ibibigay ko pa din kay Willie. Alam niya yun, as two-time MVP, a veteran,” Capacio said.
But Miller is not going to be the one to carry the bulk of the offense for long, with the impending return of scoring champion David.
“Two or three games pa bago makapaglaro. ’Di pa siya nakakapag-scrimmage sa’min. May konting pain pa daw sa tuhod,” said Capacio.
And starting guard Rudy Linganay and Jondan Salvador might suit up next game, giving the Batang Pier added depth it needs.
“Hindi biro-biro mga kalaban namin dito sa PBA,” said Capacio. “Nakakataba ng puso yung sinabi ni coach Tim Cone na maganda tinatakbo ng team.”
But Until Globalport gets all the vital pieces back together, develops needed chemisty and composure, unleashing the full brunt of its attack remains a challenge.
Capacio, even just shortly after another tough loss, knows, though, it’s just a matter of time before they get there.