Alaska won’t stray from system

Alaska coach Tim Cone said yesterday his approach of import Randy Holcomb adjusting to the Aces system, not the other way around, will make it easier for the team to contend for the PBA Fiesta Conference title down the stretch.

“We want to be different,” said Cone who began calling the shots for Alaska in 1989 and is the league’s longest-tenured coach. “We won’t run isolations for Randy. It’s a conscious effort on his part to tone down his individual game and trust in his teammates.”

The system is what Cone said will bring out the best in the Aces.

Cone said even as Alaska has gotten off to a slow 2-3 start, he’s confident the Aces are on the right track and will be title contenders in the end.

“We’re in the process of adjustment with our locals still not breaking out,” said Cone. “Randy’s sacrificing for the good of the team. I know it’s tough for him to trust his teammates because in our game against Welcoat, he gave a lot of perfect passes but we just couldn’t convert. Once we start running our offense efficiently, it’ll be a lot easier for Randy and the guys to score.”

Cone said Holcomb never strayed from the Alaska system even when the Aces trailed the Dragons and his teammates struggled. He credited Holcomb for his patience, discipline and commitment to the system.

Cone said he’s sticking with the triangle formation because it’s a system where Holcomb can thrive. “If we give the ball to Randy and let him go one-on-one while the others stand around, the defense will just collapse on him and he’ll have a hard time scoring,” added Cone. “We don’t operate that way. We run the triangle, get guys moving, create space and find the open man for the good look.”

So far, Cone said only Willie Miller, Tony de la Cruz and Jeffrey Cariaso are delivering consistently among the locals but he expects the team to jell as the conference progresses.

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In the offseason, Cone moved out Mike Cortez and Ken Bono to bring in L. A. Tenorio and Larry Fonacier from Magnolia. Cortez’ exit marked a new beginning for Alaska with the younger Tenorio inheriting the mantle of leadership in the backcourt.

“Right now, we’re just out to pick up as many wins as we can,” said Cone. “Randy’s role is critical. He reminds me of Shawn Marion. Randy can fill up the stat sheets with points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. His attitude is tremendous. He plays heavy minutes. He’s adjusting to our style and we’re better for it.”

After Alaska fell to 1-2, Cone and Holcomb talked things over in a closed-door, one-on-one session for 45 minutes. The meeting preceded a practice the day before Alaska played Welcoat. Alaska sources said Holcomb emerged from the meeting with a renewed spirit.

Against Welcoat, Holcomb unloaded 11 of his 26 points in the fourth period as the Aces won, 92-90, at the Big Dome last Wednesday. He also grabbed 15 rebounds in 43 minutes. In five games, he’s averaging 23.2 points.

Cone said Holcomb is the right import for Alaska because of his attitude and skills.

Holcomb, 28, is the only NBA veteran among the imports this conference. He was San Antonio’s second round draft pick in 2002 but never got to play for the Spurs. Instead, Holcomb saw action for the Chicago Bulls in 2005-06 – a year after he played six games for Talk n Text in his PBA debut.

Cone said he’s not bothered going up against Welcoat and Coca-Cola despite their two-import handicap.

“Luckily, we’ve got Willie who plays like our second import,” said Cone. “So we don’t really feel we’re shorthanded playing against Welcoat or Coca-Cola.”

Miller compiled 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Aces’ win over Welcoat.

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Last Saturday, Alaska dropped a 100-97 overtime thriller to Red Bull in Laoag. Holcomb was assessed a flagrant foul-1 for tackling Rich Alvarez who suffered a possible nasal bone fracture when the import attempted to stop his breakaway layup.

“Rich told me he didn’t think Randy did it on purpose,” said Cone. “Randy himself didn’t realize it was such a hard foul until he saw a cut on his arm. He didn’t mean to hurt Rich. All he wanted was to stop the layup.”

Cone said he’s not pointing the finger at anyone for Alaska ’s slow start.

“It’s all about building character,” he explained. “Randy’s doing fine. We don’t want an import who dominates although at times, we’ll ask Randy to take over a game. We’ve had a good run of imports like Sean Chambers, Devin Davis, Rosell Ellis, Dickey Simpkins and now, Randy. When we lose, we don’t blame our import. It’s everyone’s responsibility to figure out how to win – the coaches, players, everyone. That’s how we emerge a better team with a stronger character.”

Cone said the Red Bull loss brought out something positive.

“Laoag’s a tough place to play in,” he went on. “The rims are hard. Even (Adam) Parada had difficulty scoring from the post. What more the outside shooters? The positive thing was we got good looks running our offense. That’s a good sign. The problem was we couldn’t knock our shots down consistently.”