Breath before plunge
ANTIPOLO—Coach Jimmy Alapag went three-for-three to start off his tenure as coach of NLEX, as a walloping of the hapless Titan Ultra Giant Risers on Tuesday here now has his Road Warriors sitting alone atop the PBA Governors’ Cup heap.
And after the 135-100 win at Ynares Center, the Road Warriors now get a breather for the next 12 days, which would give Alapag more time to get to know the team he inherited just days before the season-ending conference began.
“I think the next two weeks are gonna be very important in terms of continuing to work and continuing to build because of the games coming up,” Alapag said. “But I’m really happy with their effort and everyone is having a positive impact on the game.”
Alapag knows he will need to make sure he and NLEX can be more in sync, with the next set of games to test the capability of his team.
NLEX returns to action on July 26 against powerhouse San Miguel Beer, which, at press time, opened its campaign against guest team Macau.
After that, the Road Warriors take on the Converge FiberXers (Aug. 1) and TNT Tropang 5G (Aug. 11) to close out the first round.
But first, the San Miguel faceoff is being seen as the first acid test in Alapag’s tenure.
“June Mar [Fajardo] is still there and he’s dominated the league for years and it’s a big test for the entire team,” said the PBA legend, who before leaving for the United States had served as part of the Beermen coaching staff.
“It will be a big test for us against a team that has stamped its legacy in this league with its dominance behind June Mar,” Alapag added.
The Road Warriors prevailed with Schonny Winston leading all scorers with 30, while Robert Bolick had his best scoring game in the early goings of the conference by nailing 29 on top of seven rebounds and four assists.
Titan Ultra slipped to a 0-3 record despite finally having an import in original choice Tirrell Brown, who poured in 27.
Meanwhile, the Governors’ Cup finally heads to its usual stomping grounds at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, with Converge and Phoenix going for 2-0 slates against separate opponents.
Converge takes on Terrafirma at 5:15 p.m. before Phoenix challenges debuting Meralco at 7:30 p.m.
The FiberXers began the conference by mauling the Giant Risers, 105-74, on Sunday in Rodriguez, Rizal.
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