Purefoods not quitting

In danger of finishing last at the end of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference double round eliminations, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hot Dogs are far from giving up the fight.

Hot Dogs coach Ryan Gregorio yesterday said his team isn’t quitting. Although admitting team morale is low—-especially after losing to Talk ‘N’ Text by 26 points last Sunday, Gregorio declared, "all is not lost."

Gregorio said the tournament format opens a window of opportunity for Purefoods to bounce back.

"Last year, two teams were eliminated outright and the No. 8 team had to beat the No. 1 team twice in the quarterfinals," noted Gregorio. "But this year, no team will be eliminated outright. The last placer gets two chances to beat the No. 3 finisher. One win and suddenly, it’s a knockout game."

Purefoods has two games left before the quarterfinal playoffs–against Red Bull and FedEx. Gregorio would like nothing better than to generate momentum entering the playoffs. Purefoods has lost eight of its last nine.

At 4-12, the Hot Dogs may still dislodge Shell from the No. 8 slot provided they win their remaining assignments and Turbochargers lose theirs. Since Purefoods enjoys a plus-13 quotient over Shell, the Hot Dogs will move up in the standings assuming a tie at 6-12. Finishing No. 8 will mean figuring in a single knockout game against the No. 5 team.

Gregorio said he’s not making excuses but pointed to a spate of bad luck that has haunted Purefoods so far this conference. "We had it good last year so now, it’s our turn to struggle," he continued. "Our injuries are piling up. We’ve had our import woes. Still, we’re trying to keep our focus."

The day before the Talk ‘N’ Text game, Gregorio said he called for a light workout–a walkthrough with new import Joe Zalatel–to avoid more injuries. "Lo and behold, Eddie (Laure) stepped on Cap’s foot, twisted his ankle and is now out for the conference," sighed Gregorio. "At this stage, we’re not asking why this is happening to us. We’re just going with the flow and keeping the faith. We’re not out of it yet."

Changing imports isn’t easy but Gregorio said it’s been necessary to find a perfect fit for the Hot Dogs after losing original pick Lenny Cooke to an injury in Purefoods’ season opener. Zalatel is the Hot Dogs’ fifth import after Cooke, Reggie Butler, Eddie Elisma and Tyrone Washington.

"We make major adjustments when a new import comes in," said Gregorio. "Then when the injured locals are reactivated, it’s another adjustment. In last Sunday’s game, we had to make more adjustments because it was Joe’s first game and Papa Jun (Limpot) came back. But we’re still hanging in there."

Gregorio said Purefoods’ basic problem is lack of size. "We’re a small team," he went on. "Our import isn’t an Art Long or Julius Nwosu. Our consolation is the tournament format benefits us. Mahaba pa ang conference. Everything depends on how we do in the playoffs."

Against Talk ‘N’ Text, Gregorio said the Hot Dogs just couldn’t match up against the Phone Pals’ giants. Asi Taulava, for instance, cut loose for 51 points on 22-of-24 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the line.

Gregorio said he’s pinning his hopes on Zalatel. "He’s quick and strong," added Greogrio. "He can jump and slam. He’s listed 6-7 in the US. He came in at 6-5. He plays facing the basket, can hit the perimeter shot, slashes and drives. Joe’s a natural three or four."

Gregorio admitted he could’ve brought in Derrick Brown’s brother Norm Richardson but decided not to because of height considerations. Richardson is listed 6-6 in US guidebooks so he’ll probably check in at 6-4 here.

"It’s hard to replace imports," said Gregorio. "It’s like getting a box of chocolates. You don’t know what you’re getting until you open the box and eat the chocolates."

Unless another Art Long comes along, Gregorio said he’ll stick to Zalatel who netted 32 points on 11-of-26 from the field and 10-of-12 from the stripe in 44 minutes last Sunday. He also grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out four assists and stole twice. Gregorio described Zalatel as "my great white hope."

Zalatel, 30, averaged 28.4 points and 8.0 rebounds for El Camino Junior College near Los Angeles in 1993-94. Ron Jacobs coached El Camino before moving to Loyola Marymount University in 1979. From El Camino, Zalatel transferred to Arizona State which produced former PBA imports Stevin Smith, Mario Bennett and Ron Riley.

Zalatel played inconsequential minutes in two years at Arizona State. In 1994-95, he averaged 1.8 points, 1.0 rebound and 4.7 minutes. Zalatel shot .538 from the field and .563 from the line. The varsity made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 and posted a 24-9 record under coach Bill Freider.

"Joe has been involved in winning basketball programs his whole career," said Freider. "I like his game. And he’s improved defensively and on the boards. He’s more of a transition player. He can play inside and out."

In 1995-96, Zalatel averaged 3.8 points and 19 minutes as Arizona State fell to 11-16.

From Arizona State, Zalatel played for Nippon Denso in the Japanese league and three clubs in Argentina. He averaged 18.9 points and 6.0 rebounds for Aveiro in the Portuguese league two years ago.

Zalatel’s basketball history is so nondescript that in his internet bio-file, the space for his picture is blank.

Postscript: The Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines, led by Chito Narvasa, is conducting a coaches clinic on May 26-28 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lyceum gym in Intramuros. There will be 10 sessions in the 3-day affair. Among the clinic speakers are Joseph Uichico, Yeng Guiao, Tim Cone, Chot Reyes, Leo Austria, Alfrancis Chua, Mark Molina, Derick Pumaren, Norman Black and Dr. George Canlas. The coaches will discuss different aspects of the game such as player conditioning, team coordination, molding of players and developing coaching philosophies. Over 100 coaches from all over the country are expected to attend the event which is sponsored by Shell, Burlington, San Miguel Beer and Ginebra San Miguel. For details, call AYN Sports Management Group at 687-2156 to 58.