Win-win situation for Macaraya as CEU, San Sebastian thrive in D-League

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Egay Macaraya wore a pink polo shirt on Tuesday, but the veteran mentor clarified that he was rooting for both teams when Centro Escolar faced Che’Lu Bar and Grill-San Sebastian in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup.

“I’m rooting for no one,” he said with a grin after the Scorpions’ 105-88 rout of the Revellers.

Serving as a consultant for CEU and concurrently the head coach for San Sebastian, Macaraya knows that this stint in the developmental league could only bring positives for the two teams’ respective campaigns in their collegiate mother leagues.

“Yes, it’s a win-win situation for both teams,” he said.

“For CEU, it’s a good learning experience for them. For San Sebastian, they learned that it’s all about teamwork. Even if (Rod) Ebondo is dominating every aspect of the game, all the CEU players were still working hard to defend them. Bottomline is the team that plays defense wins the game.”

Building a dynasty with the Scorpions, Macaraya has been vocal in his desire to replicate that success with the Golden Stags.

And little-by-little, through exposures in tournaments like the PBA D-League, he believes that his players are being subjected to high-level competition which could only be beneficial for all the players and the team moving forward.

“I’ve already brought that in my second year in San Sebastian. But of course, coach Steve (Tiu) has his own system with Che’Lu,” he said. “Again, playing in the D-League is a different competition because this is the next level before you get to the PBA. I guess it will help the players with their confidence.”