Friday, July 09, 2004 Mendoza: Siot Through Trust By Alfonso J. Mendoza Jr. Dayongs Corner
TELEVISION sportscaster Mico Halili shared this trivia, Ginebra last won the championship seven years ago.
The team was coached by playing coach Senator Robert Jaworski who wore the famous number seven jersey.
Tonight is the seventh day of the seventh month of the year and Ginebra wants to end the series and win the championship! added the research-minded Halili.
And so the most popular team won Game 4 to annex the PBA Fiesta Conference Championship at the expense of the Red Bull tough squad.
It came with signs.
The victory did not come easy.
The line-up was complete.
It was built to win but players no matter how good they are need a guiding light.
That needed light came from a young coach in Siot Tanquincen.
An assistant coach for the winning San Miguel team for so many years, Siot has raised the flag for us young coaches again.
Old people said that, Ah! Siot can't coach a star-studded team.
He is young. He will not get respect. Sometimes the world is not fair.
They judge us by our youth.
Old people those decision makers quite often forget that the young keep abreast with the times.
Old principles stay forever but the world keeps spinning because of new ideas injected by the new blood.
Give credit to Ginebra management as well.
Allan Caidic was a good coach but management thought they needed a fresh start even though the tournament was ongoing already.
The big boss safely gambled on Siot and it produced results right away.
How many teams in the PBA are like that?
They may know the problem why they are losing but are they doing anything about it? Teams are losing but are they really committed to remedy it?
The solid first five of Jay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Eric Menk, Andy Seigle and Torraye Braggs gets compliment with the mighty troika of Rommel Adducul, Rodney Santos and Sunday Salvacion who are respective winners that comes off the bench for the soft spoken Siot.
It is almost a legitimate line up that fills up each needed position.
My former teammate in the University of the Philippines, Mon Macatangay is now the strength and conditioning coach of the champion Ginebra.
Mon was a quick point guard and had muscles that we envied during our playing years.
He worked out hard in the gym everyday that inspired us to pump iron also like the way he did.
Mon teamed up with the young and brawny assistant coach Binky Favis in assisting Siot.
Binky is also a former NCAA champion coach with the Letran Knights where I also served an assistant coach but with coach Louie Alas.
Mon summed it up the following morning after their Wednesday night celebration, Hard work, team work, trust, dedication, patience and enjoyment! Like Mon, Ginebra's guards are iron men.
They literally sparked the team with their boundless energy and staying healthy
courtesy of Mon's program for the rugged Finals.
Looking back, Coach Siot had to feast the players with lechon in one of their practice sessions in the early part of the eliminations.
They were losing consecutive games.
That eventful day gave birth to the players trusting Coach Siot system.
That dreaded word trust.
How many players actually in the league trust their head coach and coaching staff in leading them to victory?
The talented Ginebra players realized and it never came late that they needed to have faith to the system.
They are now the number one team in the country.
Email the author at dayongscorner@yahoo.com.
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