Agustin’s Ginebra in position for playoffs

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Ato Agustin refused to take credit for the Kings’ ascent to the top of the standings with the playoffs about to start in the PBA Philippine Cup. He called it a family thing where winning is a shared responsibility.

Regardless of whether Ginebra wins or loses to Talk ‘N’ Text at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight, the Barangay is safely entrenched at the pole position. As the top seed, it will play No. 8 with a twice-to-beat advantage to begin the playoff journey to the championship next week. Ginebra beat Globalport, 108-92, last Friday and raised its record to 11-2. Even if Rain Or Shine defeated Air 21 to improve to 11-3 last night – the outcome was being settled at presstime, Ginebra would still stay at No. 1 assuming a loss to the Texters under the winner-over-the-other rule.

Agustin took over the Ginebra coaching reins from Alfrancis Chua on an interim basis in the Governors Cup last season. Chua has since become team manager with Agustin now in his first conference as head coach without the interim tag. Agustin was also a rookie coach with Petron when he piloted the Blaze Boosters, bannered by import Anthony Grundy, to the Governors Cup crown in 2010-11. He’d like nothing better than to experience a déjà vu.

“There are similarities with Petron and Ginebra,” he said. “But the Ginebra spirit is unique. It’s the never-say-die attitude. I’m grateful to Al for bringing chemistry to our team. We’re a family. We think and play as a team. Nobody minds sitting on the bench whether you’re a veteran or a new guy. Everybody gets along and we’re winning. The players know their roles and what to do in different situations. Another positive is we’re all healthy, our lineup is complete.”

Ginebra has lost only to Meralco by 13 and San Mig Coffee by four in zooming to the top of the heap. Before Friday’s game, the Barangay held its last five victims to an average of only 81.2 points, displaying an unforgiving defense.

Agustin said it’s too early to celebrate and the Kings still need to work on weak links. He’s concerned that Ginebra is last in second chance and fastbreak points allowed, indicators of a lack of effort in controlling the defensive boards and transition defense. His consolation is despite the shortcomings, Ginebra remains No. 1.

Agustin said veteran Mark Caguioa is the leader of the pack. “Mark keeps us together,” he said. “I’m the type of coach who listens to suggestions and Mark, Jay-Jay (Helterbrand) and L. A. (Tenorio) give good advice. Our two big guys Japeth (Aguilar) and Greg (Slaughter) are complementing each other but even our other bigs Jay-R (Reyes) and Billy (Mamaril) are playing well. Japeth has improved tremendously and is playing with a lot of confidence coming from his performance with Gilas. He plays the four position like a three. Greg is our post player and as a rookie, he’s contributing heavily. Sometimes, my problem is whom to put in because we have so many good players and I want to give everyone a chance.”

Agustin said at the onset, the team’s goal was to finish the eliminations either at No. 1 or No. 2. It’s mission accomplished. Now, the goal is to make it to the semifinals, one step at a time. Ultimately, the championship is the objective.

Aguilar, the first overall draft pick in 2009, is averaging 19.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.8 blocked shots and 37.8 minutes. Discounting the one game he played for Burger King in 2009-10, Aguilar is essentially only in his third season. The upside is mind-boggling. This conference, he’s one of only five players to score in twin digits every game – the others are Talk ‘N’ Text’s Jayson Castro, Globalport’s Sol Mercado and Petron’s Arwind Santos and JuneMar Fajardo.

“We wanted to win over Globalport for Al as a birthday gift,” said Agustin. Chua turned 47 last Friday. “We wanted to clinch the No. 1 position on his birthday.” For Chua, the key is chemistry. “Right from the start, I made sure Ato and the players were on the same page,” he said. “I brought them all together and I didn’t mind spending to get everyone comfortable with each other. For me, that’s the key. We’re working like one family.”

The signs are ominous for Ginebra. The last conference where Ginebra topped the eliminations was in the 2006-07 Philippine Cup which the Kings went on to win. Ginebra hasn’t captured a title since the 2008 Fiesta Conference and now that the Barangay is in the playoffs for the 20th straight conference over the last eight seasons, Agustin is hoping to steer the Kings all the way to the throne.