KaTropa uneasy at the top

MANILA, Philippines - With TNT KaTropa the only unbeaten team left in the ongoing PBA Governors Cup, coach Jong Uichico said yesterday it’s not easy staying on top as the outcome of every game is unpredictable because of league parity brought about by imports.

TNT is in solo first place at 5-0 and plays Phoenix at the Ynares Center, Antipolo, at 4:15 this afternoon. Four of its five wins came with TNT holding opponents to less than 100 points. Uichico said playing defense is a challenge but it’s a priority since “we just can’t rely on offense” with other teams well-armed in the firepower department.

Uichico said after TNT failed to make it to the Final Four in the last three conferences, the team has started to hum again. “I noticed we didn’t give our full attention to what we had to do in the past,” he said. “We lost focus. When things didn’t go well, we crumbled. Now, it’s different. I think the players realized by themselves they needed to do something to turn things around. I just reminded the guys to keep working hard, to have that positive attitude and to be focused in accomplishing our goals. There are no easy games. Every team is capable of winning.”

Backing up Uichico is a compact coaching staff that was beefed up by Art de la Cruz recently. “I think we’ve got the leanest coaching staff in the PBA,” he said. “Coach Tab (Baldwin) is now concentrated on Ateneo. Josh (Reyes), Nash (Racela) and Bong (Ravena) are with us. Josh is also taking care of Gilas playing in Tehran next month. Nash is FEU’s head coach and he’ll be focused on the UAAP when the season begins in two weeks. Art will help us with defense. It’s timely that he’s joining us because defense is our priority now. He’ll sit with us on the bench starting next week. With the PBA’s strict officiating policy, it’s hard to play tough defense but we’re trying. So far, we’ve been able to hold teams down to less than 100 but it’ll be a struggle to keep the scores low against teams like San Miguel Beer and Ginebra.”

Uichico said TNT has no first round pick in the coming draft and he still has to study what options are available to bolster the lineup for next season. “We don’t know what the draft will be like with the entry of the Gilas Cadets,” he said. “Of course, we’re hoping to get a crack at the best available players. We’ve extended players whose contracts are expiring this month to the end of the conference, like Kelly (Williams), Ryan (Reyes), Danny (Seigle) and Jayson (Castro). We’re hoping to bring them all back next season. As for Jayson playing in China, I don’t know about that. I think it’s just talk, nothing concrete. I haven’t spoken with Jayson about it. That’s something he’ll take up with management if ever there’s an offer and he’s considering it.”

Uichico said the jury’s still out on which import to play the rest of the conference – Mario Little of the University of Kansas or Mychal Ammons of the University of South Alabama. Little played in TNT’s first four games then Ammons took over to power the KaTropa to a 109-89 win over Blackwater with 18 points and 18 rebounds last Saturday. Little is on the injured reserve list.

“We’re evaluating the situation,” said Uichico. “Both are scrappy and do the little things that make a difference. Mychal is bigger than Mario and gives us more of an inside presence because he can play four or five. Mario is more of a three. We’re not a strong rebounding team so we try to rebound collectively. We’ll see what Mychal does against Phoenix.”

A revelation in the conference is guard Kris Rosales, Barako Bull’s second round draft pick last year. Rosales was signed by TNT before the conference. “He’s a competitor,” said Uichico. “We figured if he plays like how he played in the ABL, that’s fine and anything more is a bonus. He’s very coachable, he wants to learn, plays hard and won’t back down from anyone. We thought of Kris as a backup for Jayson. So far, we’re happy with his development.”

Another TNT rookie who’s making waves is Troy Rosario. “We like Troy’s versatility because he plays multiple positions,” said Uichico. “He’s comfortable playing four but he can also play three, depending on the matchups. He gives Ranidel (de Ocampo) rest as a reliever and we need a fresh Ranidel ready for the end game. Sometimes, we play Ranidel and Troy together to create mismatches.” In TNT’s last two games, Rosario has registered double figures in points and rebounds.

Uichico said he’s not aware if TNT’s Matt Ganuelas will play for Gilas in Tehran. Ganuelas sat out TNT’s first four games to recover from ankle surgery and played briefly against Blackwater. “As of now, nothing’s final,” he said. “If he plays for Gilas, he’ll probably be gone two weeks. Right now, he’s in our rotation. I don’t know what the final decision will be on whether Matt will play in Tehran or not.” Ganuelas was included in Gilas’ provisional 24-man lineup for the FIBA Asia Challenge.