Without the distractions, the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards had rediscovered their winning touch in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and it has manifested inside the hard court by winning 14 games in a row and keeping their perfect record in the regular season.
On Friday night, the Rice Vanguards added archrival and two-time defending champion Pampanga to their growing list of victims following an 82-74 win in a statement game that defined Nueva Ecija’s resiliency of return to glory.
But for head coach Don Dulay, a perfect record isn’t an indication of what the team is capable of doing as he has no illusions of having a perfect season, but more about winning the National Championship, and so far, the Rice Vanguards had been showing that character based on the discipline the team has been displaying so far.
“The objective is to win the National Finals, no doubt,” Dulay told Pinoystep.com in a telephone conversation. “We have no illusions of having a perfect season, but it’s all about winning the title.”
Now on his second season, Dulay was able to identify right away the difference between the team he took over last season from the ones he had right now.
The present Nueva Ecija team is coming all locked in — free from any distraction.
“I would say we’re more focused now,” added Dulay. “Last year, when I took over, there were players who left the squad and it left a bad taste in the mouth as we were preparing for the long season. Now, we have a full season ahead to prepare and we have players who are truly committed.”
The players Dulay was referring was composed of the core led by its leader, Rob Celiz, while the inclusion of new players like the Marcelino twins, Jayvee and Jaycee, had certainly added depth to their roster.
“Rob is more matured now and it has manifested on his game. His leadership is being well followed by the other members of the squad while the Marcelino twins provided us the spunk we needed in the backcourt,” added Dulay. “It’s going to be a long season, but so far, we like what we’re seeing and the team is totally locked in.”
