On the heels of another painful finals setback, the Magnolia Hotshots will continue to pursue excellence and head coach Chito Victolero knows they can only get better.
“Of course, the experience will only make us better, especially when competing against a powerhouse team like San Miguel led by June Mar Fajardo,” Victolero told PinoyStep.com.
“We came close. We were one or two possessions away from winning Game 6 and sending it to a Game 7. But we will keep on trying. The good thing is we always have the chance. Ang mas mahirap naman kung wala kang pag-asa.”
True, the Hotshots had been a consistent playoff performer, even reaching the championship round three more times since the last time they won a title in the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
“Alam naman natin hindi ganung kadali manalo ng championship, especially hindi naman kami ganung kalakas katulad ng ibang teams,” he added. “But we were always been competing.”
Victolero believes they’ve already found the missing pieces, adding a few more big men to shore up their front court the past two seasons — first by acquiring James Laput and picking up Abu Tratter and David Murrell in a trade with Converge right before the season started,
They’ve molded Laput to become the next most important big man for the squad and although they’ve shown progress in terms of improvement in his skill set, Victolero thinks the 6-foot-9 center is still not at par with the top-tier big men in the league like Fajardo and Christian Standhardinger.
“Malayo pa rin talaga, pero at least malaki na yung nakikita nating improvement from James,” said Victolero. “The good thing about James, he’s willing to learn and he has great attitude. Malaki ang magiging papel ng mga veteran big men namin like Ian (Sangalang) and Rafi (Reavis) in helping his development.”
In the coming Philippine Cup, much is expected from Laput and he’ll play a big role in the Hotshots’ quest for another title run.
Laput had shown remarkable improvement, particularly in the preseason, but he was given a reality check, particularly in the finals where he was hardly a factor.
In the recent Commissioner’s Cup, he averaged 5.5 points, though, the most productive conference in his third season in the PBA.
“We’re back on training. At least, we’re not that far behind in terms of preparation and my players badly need the rest,” added Victolero. “We will not stop until we win the championship, whatever it takes.”
The Hotshots begin their Philippine Cup campaign on March 16 against Converge.
