Compton’s time will come

MANILA, Philippines – NU coach Eric Altamirano said yesterday it’s only a matter of time before Alex Compton wins a PBA championship and pointed out that leading Alaska to three Finals in the last five conferences was no easy feat.

Altamirano and Compton are partners in running the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) which started in 2007. This year, the NBTC has expanded its coverage to involve 8,580 players, 1,148 coaches, 536 schools and 48 cities, excluding NCR, all over the country. Their friendship goes beyond basketball.   

“Right now, Alex is taking a break in a beach resort with his family,” said Altamirano who has coached Purefoods, Mobiline and Coca-Cola in the PBA. “He told me he hasn’t replied to any requests for interviews from media. But if you know Alex, he’ll answer every single text eventually. We haven’t really talked about the Finals. I wasn’t able to ask him about why he called three consecutive mandatory timeouts to start Game 7. But my thinking is he did it to give San Miguel, particularly JuneMar (Fajardo), less time to rest during the game. It was a strategic move. Did it backfire? I can’t say for sure. There were other factors that determined the outcome of the game.”

Altamirano said Compton joked that like San Miguel, he, too, is now part of PBA history. The Beermen became the first team in pro basketball to come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-7 championship series – at Alaska’s expense. Compton said he’s the first coach to lose a best-of-7 series after leading, 3-0.

“I told Alex his time will come,” said Altamirano. “I reminded him that in 2013, NU had a twice-to-beat advantage over UST in the UAAP Final Four and we lost both games (71-62 and 76-69). But we came back the next season, to win the title, NU’s first in 60 years. I also reminded him that in the 1999 PBA All-Filipino Conference, Mobiline had a twice-to-beat advantage over Barangay Ginebra in the playoffs and we lost. I was Mobiline coach at that time.” Altamirano recalled that Mobiline blew a 20-point lead in the second game which was settled by Bal David’s off-balance, buzzer-beating jumper.

Altamirano said Alaska was a possession away from clinching the PBA Philippine Cup in Game 4. “I was at the PhilSports Arena and I thought the balloons would fall that night,” he said. “If Alaska scored on that last possession, they would’ve won the championship. But San Miguel is such a talented team. Game 4 was the turning point because San Miguel won without JuneMar and that boosted their confidence. When JuneMar came back, their level of confidence got a bigger boost. You’ve got to overachieve to beat a team like San Miguel.”

Altamirano lauded Alaska for pushing San Miguel to the brink not once but twice. San Miguel also beat the Aces, 4-3, in the Philippine Cup Finals last season. “Alex is a great motivator,” said Altamirano. “I think Alaska will be pumped up to play the next conference. It’s quite an achievement for Alex, as a young coach, to bring Alaska to three Finals in the last five conferences.” It was San Miguel that beat the Aces in those three Finals.

Altamirano, 49, is one of only three UAAP senior men’s basketball team coaches to keep their jobs for next season. Ateneo, La Salle and Adamson have named their new coach while UST and UP are still interviewing candidates. Like NU, UE and FEU will stick with their coach. “I’ll get worried if the new coaches coming in are younger than me,” chuckled Altamirano who won the All-Filipino Cup for Purefoods in his PBA debut conference in 1997.

Altamirano, considered the country’s top 3x3 coach, said he welcomes the idea of tapping collegiate imports like San Beda’s Ola Adeogun and Perpetual’s Bright Akhuetie to play for the country in 3x3 competitions. FIBA has plans to make the 3x3 game a year-round attraction in preparation for introducing it as an Olympic event at the 2020 Tokyo Games. FIBA has no restriction on how many naturalized players may suit up for a country in 3x3 with a legitimate passport as the only requirement.