Long overdue honeymoon

TV celebrity Kris Aquino, now known in sports circles as Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) MVP James Yap’s wife, texted yesterday to clarify that the US trip she’s taking tomorrow with the Purefoods hotshot will be a much-delayed honeymoon.

"It’s actually our first honeymoon and first vacation na just us," said Kris. "We fly to L.A. and Hawaii for work but I have a week off so that’s when we take our nearly 13-month delayed honeymoon."

Kris is, of course, Yap’s No. 1 fan. And Yap himself acknowledged in a recent TV interview, that she is his source of strength and takes good care of him.

As their millions of fans swear, Kris and James are meant for each other. They work hard to achieve success and deserve all the happiness and blessings because God is in the center of their lives.

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Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said when he woke up at 6 a.m. last Sunday, he thought there was still a game to play in the PBA. Maybe it was force of habit or the victory hadn’t totally sunk in yet. But whatever the reason, Gregorio said he was relieved to realize the season was finally over and the Chunkee Giants were back on top.

The morning after Purefoods clinched the crown, Gregorio was with his five-year-old daughter Isabel for a fellowship at her school, Assumption in Antipolo. The day before, Gregorio told Isabel he couldn’t be sure to join her because the Finals hadn’t been settled but promised to go if Purefoods won.

It turned out to be a leisurely weekend for Gregorio, his wife Jin and their two children, Isabel and R.J., 3.

Last Saturday afternoon, the Gregorios went to their beachhouse in Ternate, Cavite, to relax. And the next day, they attended the 9 a.m. Mass at the parish church near Hinulugang Taktak in Antipolo. In the afternoon, Gregorio accompanied the entire Purefoods team to visit Eugene Tejada at the Makati Medical Center.

"Eugene’s on the road to recovery," said Gregorio. "There are clear signs of improvement. Before, he used to be able to just wiggle his toes. Now, he can move both knees. The outlook for Gene is bright. We’re all upbeat. He was our inspiration to win the title and now, we want to be his inspiration to fully recover."

Gregorio said he believes in fate but in Purefoods’ case, the Giants created their own destiny.

"We didn’t wait for destiny to happen," said Gregorio. "We made it happen. We wanted to prove to everyone, especially to ourselves, that we could win the championship. A lot of people told us we wouldn’t be able to compete because we’re not tall and we’re not big. We were determined to prove them wrong."

After Red Bull stormed back to take Game 5, Gregorio admitted he was concerned. He knew that if the Barakos won Game 6, momentum would be on their side in a winner-take-all Game 7.

That’s why Gregorio saw Game 6 as a do-or-die situation.

"We felt the sense of urgency," he said. "I told the guys before Game 6, this was the last day of the season, that there would be no more practice the next day and that because they worked so hard, they deserved the rest. Rest was the best reward I could offer the guys."

When Jondan Salvador returns next conference, Gregorio said he doesn’t anticipate problems in rotation or chemistry.

"Jondan gives us a solid post defender and a perimeter threat," said Gregorio. "I don’t see any difficulty playing Jondan and Marc (Pingris) together. Marc is so versatile that he can play two, three, four and five. They’ll be good together."

Gregorio said he knew Purefoods was up against a tough adversary in the Red Bull mentality and to counteract it, he worked on developing a Giant attitude.

"It’s all about the value of showing up and going for the win," said Gregorio. "Winning is always a goal for us in every game. We go for short-term goals, like shooting for the semifinals then building on what we achieve. We try not to look back, whether we’ve won or lost, and just move forward. We value each day that we’re together as a team. We’re just happy to be part of the Purefoods organization."

During the offseason, Gregorio said he’ll read up on improving his motivational skills.

"We can’t wait for players to come in to make us a better team," he said. "Instead of a change of men, we want a change in men, in their values and outlook. We want to build relationships and become friends forever, knowing players and coaches come and go in the PBA which is just a segment of our lives."

Since Purefoods is drafting ninth in the coming PBA draft, Gregorio said he’s not sure which players will still be available by the time the Giants’ turn comes.

"We’ll look for a big man because other teams outsize us," said Gregorio. "But I think we’ll still be competitive in the coming years. Our core is young with Kerby (Raymundo), James and Marc. Our veterans have two to three good years left. So we’re in good shape."