Real close call
RODRIGUEZ, Rizal—NLEx coach Jimmy Alapag didn’t really need a long time to get acquainted with his import DeQuan Jones, given that they were briefed about each other by a mutual friend.
After shooting 30 points, grabbing seven rebounds, issuing four assists and having three blocks in a 101-100 escape act over Terrafirma on Sunday here, Jones is simply glad that he’s experiencing the positive things that common friend, Garrius Adams, had told him when he learned that Alapag was tapped to call the shots—and gave Jones the referral.
“So far, so good. Coach Jimmy’s living up to the hype,” Jones, whose 25 points in the first half keyed NLEx’s early assault, said. “Our common friend said that coach Jimmy’s a pleasure to play (for). He’s not only a great coach, but a great guy.”
Adams and Alapag worked together for the Sacramento Kings as player development coaches, with Alapag making the decision to fly back for home after getting the call-up to handle the Road Warriors and guide them all the way to a first PBA title.
The Road Warriors nearly threw away a sure victory after the Dyip mounted a huge comeback from 23 points down behind Maverick Ahanmisi and Juami Tiongson, who was back with the team after a three-conference stint with the San Miguel Beermen.
Terrafirma, however, couldn’t steal one from NLEx, which was glad to keep Alapag unbeaten after two starts in his homecoming.
It was a different scenario from two nights earlier, when the Road Warriors blasted the guest team Macau Giant Pandas by 39 points. And despite a 2-0 start, Alapag believes he and his team can be better versions of themselves.
Alapag was quite ready to take accountability for that fourth quarter meltdown, another aspect he’ll need to work on as he keeps on getting his feet wet in the league where he became a legend.
“I think the biggest thing is that every game is important,” said Alapag. “The more wins that you could get, I think it puts us in a better situation going forward.
“I think Terrafirma was great in that fourth quarter, but our guys stayed resilient and got stops when we needed to get the win,” he added.
NLEx will have little time to find out what went wrong and what positives it can hold on as it returns to action on Tuesday in Antipolo against Titan Ultra.
Terrafirma fell to 1-1.
Ahanmisi and Tiongson, who hesitated during the final seconds instead of taking the potential winner, shared scoring for the Dyip with 19 apiece, with import Justin Strings, who muffed a triple at the buzzer, finishing with 18.
Geo Chiu was held to five points and 15 rebounds after posting career highs of 19 and 23 in the 113-100 win over Titan Ultra.
