No more excuses for Globalport

MANILA, Philippines - After two forgettable conferences, Globalport coach Junel Baculi said there will be no more excuses for a poor performance in the coming PBA Governors Cup as team owner Mikee Romero is growing increasingly impatient because he’s not used to losing.

Globalport finished last with a 1-13 record in the Philippine Cup under interim coach Glenn Capacio and also brought up the rear with a 2-12 mark in the Commissioner’s Cup under Baculi. In the PBL, Romero enjoyed seven championships with Harbour Centre in 2006-09 but things haven’t fallen into place since his move to the PBA.

“The challenge is there,” said Baculi who returned from a UAAP Board planning meeting in San Francisco the other day. “We’re determined to bounce back. Boss Mikee won’t take any excuses in the third conference. We run into some bad luck in the Commissioner’s Cup with our imports. We really can’t rely on videos and credentials so I plan to personally scout for an import in the US next month. We can’t afford to make more mistakes.”

In the second conference, Globalport got off to an encouraging 2-1 start with import Justin Williams. The only loss in that stretch was a 98-88 overtime setback to Barako Bull so it could’ve been a three-game win streak. Then the roof caved in on the Batang Pier, losing the next 11 outings. Replacement imports Walter Sharpe and Sylvester Morgan failed to stem the tide.

“We need games to generate chemistry,” said Baculi. “It didn’t help that Sol (Mercado) sat out our last three games because of a shoulder injury. Japeth (Aguilar) has a lot of potential but let’s face it, this is practically his rookie season as a pro. We drafted him for Burger King in 2009 but he played only one game before going back to Gilas. Last season, he was with Talk ‘N’ Text but didn’t play much, again because of commitments with Gilas. With more games will come maturity then consistency. We know Japeth will get to where we want him to be.”

Baculi said he’s on the lookout for an import who can play multiple positions and complement Globalport’s locals. The height limit for imports in the Governors Cup is 6-5. “June will be a good month to visit camps in the US, particularly in Las Vegas where the NBA holds its summer league,” said Baculi. “We’ll pick an import who fits our system.”

Team manager B. J. Manalo said practice will resume May 20. “From then, we’ll evaluate our lineup,” said Manalo. “We’ve got a lot of player contracts expiring Aug. 31 so we’ll meet soon to decide renewals.” Players whose contracts are due to lapse Aug. 31 are Will Antonio, Romel Adducul, Rudy Lingganay, Jondan Salvador, Jason Deutchman and Kelly Nabong.

Baculi said several outstanding rookies could emerge from the November draft particularly as current UAAP players may decide to apply. In previous drafts, UAAP players were barred from joining because the August timing conflicted with their league commitments. But this year, because of the FIBA-Asia Championships, the PBA decided to postpone the draft from August to November after the UAAP will have ended its season. Under UAAP rules, none of its active players may join the PBA draft while the league is still in progress.

“Theoretically, active UAAP players may join the coming PBA draft because the season will be over by then,” said Baculi. “Personally, I’d like Bobby Ray (Parks) to play another year with NU but you don’t know what he’ll decide to do because with his father passing away, he’s now the family breadwinner. He might join the draft or even try his luck in the NBA. The future is wide open for Ray-Ray because he’s so talented. I think one more year in the UAAP will really prepare him for the PBA.”

Globalport’s nucleus of Gary David, Mercado, Aguilar and Willie Miller is formidable but blending their skills to transform the Batang Pier into a cohesive machine is a task that Baculi hopes to accomplish before the season ends.