Starting from sratch

It seems like so much has happened to the Coca-Cola Tigers since they last won a championship. Now, with a new coach, a vastly different set of players, and very little time on their hands, the proud franchise finds itself in the position of looking at a long uphill climb, learning on the job.

"When Coach Eric (Altamirano) handled us, he wasn’t given time for us to regroup," explains point guard Johnny Abarrientos, whose knees are starting to show their years. "Then there was a shuffle. Now, we’re adjusting again to the system of Coach Binky. Then there was a draft, so there were new players. Then there were trades, so there were new players again. And a new coaching staff. So, we’re back to zero, square one."

In an all-Filipino practice game against the Purefoods Chunkee Giants at the adidas Sports Kamp, the Tigers groped for form. Although they showed flashes of brilliance-particularly from rookie guard Denok Miranda and neophyte forward Jondan Salvador, they were blasted by the Giants in the first quarter, and were never able to cut the lead below double digits.

Uncharacteristically, they missed at least a dozen lay-ups in the intense match.

"We’re still in the process of trying to rebuild, to get the players to believe that things could still happen," admits new head coach Binky Favis, a tremendous scout in his own right. "I know it’s not going to be easy; the players know that. At least it’s good that the players are working hard in practice, so I think we’ll get there sooner than later."

Although the Tigers don’t have a high ceiling some other PBA teams have acquired, they do have a solid frontline in Billy Mamaril, Poch Juinio, Rafi Reavis and Ali Peek. However, one thing that still frustrates the perennial contender (aside from the trouble finding an import) is the lack of chemistry. With all the players who’ve been there a year or less, like Gerard Francisco, Peek, Miranda, Salvador, Mamaril, John Arigo and Carlo Sharma, it will be hard to get everyone on the same page without a firebrand of an import to keep them on purpose.

"We really don’t know the style of coach Binky now," Abarrientos continues. "When he was the assistant of Coach Chot (Reyes), he would give us things on the defensive side. Now, he’s the head coach, we have to adjust to him on both the defensive and offensive sides. What he did, so we won’t be confused, is he brought us back to the basics. What we’re used to, the triangle, that’s where he’s taking the flow of things. Now we’re having a hard time, because he asked us to try a play."

Of course, the team has never been the same since Rudy Hatfield has been unable to play, and Jeff Cariaso was traded. The Tigers are now looking for someone to lead them in the hunt for a title. But it takes time to ingrain a new system. And that is a commodity Coca-Cola doesn’t have yet.

"We’re having a hard time getting acquainted with the screening game again," says Favis, who was also an assistant in Ginebra before finally being called up to run his own team. "That’s one thing that I’m trying to inject into this team. Again, they’re a lot better now than when we started, but we’re still a long way off."

"One more thing that’s true is that the Tigers are out of shape," Abarrientos admits. "We need to work harder, so that before the league opens, we’ll be ready."

Coca-Cola has set such consistently high standards in the past that it is difficult to swallow their inability to execute. They’re hoping that their individual abilities and experiences will miraculously blend into a lethal basketball machine that they used to be, in the recent past, before all the unforeseen changes took place.

"We just want to be the best that we could possibly be. We just want to be competitive; we just want to keep improving every day. Whether that will mean winning is another thing. But I’m pretty sure these guys know what it takes, anyway," Favis said.