Red Bull’s for real - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

Red Bull coach Joseller (Yeng) Guiao never expected the Thunder to be where it is in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors Cup – at the top.

"When I look at the standings, I ask myself, totoo kaya ito," said Guiao. "It’s like a dream. This is way above my expectations. In a sense, it’s a scary feeling. But at the same time, I’m not afraid of the bubble bursting. If the conference ends today, we’ll be happy with what we’ve achieved. My goals for this year – our first in the PBA – were to try to fit the guys to their roles and gain experience so we can be competitive next season. But now that we’re in the thick of the fight, we’ll try to make the most of it. Do we feel the pressure? Not really because nobody expected us to be a contender in the first place. Remember, we’re a young team with a lot of inexperienced players and rookies."

Guiao, 41, pointed to team owner George Chua for inspiring the Thunder to overachieve. "Mr. Chua told us to play our hearts out and have fun," continued Guiao. "We took the cue from management. Of course, tuwang-tuwa ang management just for the company to be in the PBA. It’s like Welcoat – they’re hoping to join the PBA, too, because playing in the pros is an achievement in itself. We owe it to Mr. Chua for giving us the opportunity to play."

Although Red Bull boasts a 6-1 record and has clinched a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, Guiao said it’s no guarantee of smooth sailing into the semis. "A twice-to-beat advantage means nothing if you’re playing a team like San Miguel Beer or Alaska or Tanduay," he noted. "You can’t think past the experienced teams that are capable of beating you twice in a row. The championship? We’re not even thinking about it and for sure, there’s no team out there thinking of the Finals yet. We’re not even thinking of the semifinals.

* * *

For Red Bull, advancing to the quarters is a big feat. After all, the Thunder failed to qualify for the quarters in both the First and Second Conferences. In the All-Filipino, Red Bull posted a 5-9 record but two of the wins were reversed after the PBA ruled Kerby Raymundo ineligible until next year. In the Commissioner’s Cup, the Thunder’s slate was 3-6 as Red Bull tapped Thaddeus Delaney then Jack Hartman and finally Ray (King) Tutt in a struggle to find a suitable import.

Defining the roles of each player was something that Guiao prioritized in laying the groundwork for the team’s future.

"When you’ve got such a young team like ours, it’s important to define roles, both offensively and defensively – kung ‘di, magkakagulo sa loob," explained Guiao. "The first thing I told the guys was all of them can’t be top scorers. We’re lucky that guys like Ato (Agustin), Edmund (Reyes), and Glenn (Capacio) found their roles early. Von (Harp) and Mick (Pennisi) knew what they had to do – play defense, rebound, intimidate, and shoot when they’re open. Jimwell (Torion) is still looking for his spot on the team and I think he’s finding it. We want him to score and pass. I expect him to score in double figures and get six to seven assists a game. But I told him he’s not expected to score in the 20s because he’ll take the offense away from the others. We’ve got stoppers in Edmund and Glenn, scorers in Ato and Jimwell, and rebounders in Von and Mick. Then, we’ve got guys coming off the bench – like Junthy (Valenzuela), Cris (Bolado) and Lordy (Tugade)."

More than anything, Guiao said defense has carried Red Bull to its surprising start. "Defense is making things happen for us," he stressed.

* * *

In Red Bull’s 92-78 win over Alaska last Sunday, Guiao said the key was limiting Kenneth Duremdes to four points. "We knew that when Alaska wins, Kenneth averages about 18 points and six assists – he’s the guy we wanted to stop," disclosed Guiao. "We were out to defend him like an import. Edmund couldn’t play because of a severe sprain so I picked Glenn to start instead. Glenn knows how to play Kenneth – just play him physical because he doesn’t like contact. Then, we went to our rotation of Junthy and Lordy to relieve Glenn. Because Alaska is an experienced team, I felt Glenn –being a veteran – should start. The last few games, he’s played five to seven minutes – I’ve been slowly working him back from his injury. I felt he was ready to play against Alaska."

Not only did Capacio contain Duremdes, he also contributed 13 points, 11 in the third period.

"I wasn’t surprised that Glenn exploded ," said Guiao. "You give him a good look and he’ll score. He comes to practice an hour early for his shooting drills. He works hard on his shooting. If he makes his first or second shot and gets his confidence, he’ll be difficult to stop. Against Alaska, we anticipated the defense would collapse at the post and on the penetration so Glenn got open for kickouts."

More on Red Bull in tomorrow’s column.