PBA lifts curtains on 36th season, Meralco

 

“There’s something inside me that says  I have to prove myself all over again,” Gregorio told the Inquirer over the phone Saturday after winding up practice for his new squad Meralco, which slugs it out with Barangay Ginebra today in the only match opening the 36th PBA season at the Araneta Coliseum.

 

Gregorio left Purefoods/Derby Ace at the end of last season to start a new chapter in his coaching career and is under pressure to turn a team into a championship contender right in its maiden professional season.

 

“Being pressured is part of the job,” Gregorio said. “As a coach, if you don’t get pressured, you have no place in this business. If you don’t get pressured, you’re just  callous out there with basically no use.”

 

Gregorio pulled off some trades that landed him two formidable players in Mac Cardona and Asi Taulava, and their 6 p.m. collision with the crowd-darling Gin Kings will give him a glimpse if his B-Boys would be competitive right from Day 1.

 

Cardona is without a doubt his go-to-guy.

 

And though he cannot compare him to his old take-charge man—James Yap—while with his former squad, Gregorio feels that he has a real superstar in the making in Cardona.

 

“That guy never ceases to amaze me,” Gregorio said. “It’s a safe bet that he will realize his superstar potential in this team this season. His competitive drive is a wonder to behold.”

 

Taulava, meanwhile, has been under the weather the past few days and has not even been extended by coaching staff in practice that much. But  the 6-foot-9 RP Team mainstay is expected to play major minutes for the B-Boys.

 

“We are slowly integrating Asi into our system,” said Gregorio, who admitted that he will not be making a drastic change in the way he coaches, a style that netted him three championships with Purefoods/Derby Ace and three Coach of the Year awards from the PBA Press Corps.

 

“My coaching will not change,” he said. “I just have a different set of players whom I will rotate, but the philosophy will be basically the same.”

 

Ginebra, on the other hand, would like to put the 2009-2010 season behind and start off the year on a bright note.

 

As usual, the Gin Kings will have its overloaded guard rotation carrying the fight, with Mark Caguioa and former MVPs Jay-Jay Helterbrand and Willie Miller to shoulder most of the scoring load.

 

Much of Ginebra’s problems the past season stemmed from cohesion, or the lack thereof, as coach Jong Uichico did not have that much success juggling the talent in his roster.

 

“I want to see if we can play as a team and trust each other,” the soft-spoken mentor said in a text message when asked to comment on his team’s chances on opening day.

 

Eric Menk, Enrico Villanueva and Rudy Hatfield remain the most reliable big men of Uichico, while Ronald Tubid will again play a vital part in the rotation on both ends as he could again be asked to guard Cardona.

 

The opening ceremonies are scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. with the league promising a show “never before seen on television.” The traditional parade of teams and their muses will be the highlight of the proceedings. Photo by Nuki Sabio, PBA