FiberXers not pointing fingers at Stockton
For two games straight, Alec Stockton bore the brunt of social media insults after committing some late-game errors that cost Converge its last two games.
The FiberXers are making sure the flashy guard knows the team has his back.
“It’s normal. Everybody goes through slumps. I know Alec goes hard every training, and I know he’s going to bounce back,” Juan Gomez de Liaño, who has been sitting on the sidelines due to a bone contusion, told the Inquirer.
De Liaño’s comment comes on the heels of crucial mistakes by Stockton in a 99-93 loss at the hands of Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With less than a minute remaining and Converge looking to erase a two-point deficit, Stockton fumbled an inbound pass that led to a Justin Brownlee bucket that put the Gin Kings up, 97-93.
Last week, when the FiberXers took on San Miguel Beer, Stockton converted a game-tying four-pointer only to foul Don Trollano, who iced the game in favor of the Beermen, 103-99.
Converge is confident that Stockton will make amends for those mistakes.
No blame game
“It’s just about finding ways to recover, being mentally strong and bouncing back. We’re a hundred percent sure he will do those,” De Liaño said.
Even coach Delta Pineda has voiced out support for his ward, asking the Converge faithful to pause the blame game.
“He’s a kid, he’s a player, everyone makes mistakes. I’m building the confidence of this team, so we don’t want to see those situations as bad. You have to think about his fatigue and our rotation as well,” Pineda said in Filipino.
“We’re just missing players now, but let’s not bring it to a situation where we’ll point fingers. A lot of players make mistakes too,” Pineda added. “Let’s allow him to bounce back; that’s the only way he’ll mature from those mistakes.”
Converge needs Stockton, who finished with nine points, five assists and three rebounds against Ginebra, to regain his confidence and his game as the FiberXers hope to climb out of a 1-4 (win-loss) hole.
