Can Banal deliver elusive crown for TnT?

Asi Taulava was once quoted as saying "Coach Joel (Banal’s arrival) was the best thing that happened to Talk N Text."

But is Banal really the man who could finally give the PLDT franchise the elusive championship in the Philippine Basketball Association?

This question begs for an answer with Talk N Text already achieving a franchise record under the rookie mentor, reaching the All-Filipino semifinals for the first time in franchise history.

The team has played under almost a dozen coaches since it joined the league under the Pepsi-Cola banner in 1990 but it had never made it to the All-Filipino semis. It had no luck under Ed Ocampo, Derrick Pumaren, Tommy Manotoc, Yeng Guiao, Norman Black, Eric Altamirano, Louie Alas and even American mentors Bill Bayno and Paul Woolpert.

Now, the team has a crack at the finals with Banal at the helm.

Will the Phone Pals go all the way to end their hunt for a first-ever crown? Will Banal join an elite list of coaches winning a championship right in their first tournament in the league?

"Of course, we have to go past Alaska first and it’s not an easy task. Wala kaming advantage sa kanila in terms of height, heft and speed. One thing going for us is that we can easily motivate ourselves to beat Alaska," said Banal.

"Ang sarap talunin ang Alaska because of their rich winning tradition," added the former Mapua Tech King Cardinal, who incidentally started his coaching career in the pros at Alaska, serving as deputy to Tim Cone from 1994-1997.

Thus, there’s no question, Banal knows the coaching style of Cone like the back of his hand. But Banal doesn’t consider that a plus factor for Talk N Text.

"I know it’s always not easy to beat the triangle (offense) because I believe in the system," he said. "I know Alaska is always tough to beat specially in the playoffs because that team improves as the tournament goes on. And it’s a tribute to Cone."

But Banal is no Cone clone.

He’d been a student of the so-called old school and the sciences of the present generation of coaching.