Chua lets hair down

Alfrancis Chua finally won his first Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) game as Sta. Lucia Realty head coach at the Ynares Center in Antipolo last Friday but he was in no mood to celebrate after the 81-71 decision over FedEx.

Two Realtors–Kenneth Duremdes and Kiko Adriano–went down with injuries during the game. It’s not sure if they’ll be cleared to play in Sta. Lucia’s next outing against Red Bull on Wednesday.

Chua started the game wearing a pony tail. But when FedEx trimmed a 26-point deficit to only eight in the dying minutes, Chua unloosed his shoulder-length locks. You wonder if it was for good luck or a sign of exasperation.

Chua, 36, wanted to win Friday’s outing badly. The Express was one of only two clubs the Realtors failed to beat last season (the other was Red Bull). FedEx had won only once in its last 11 games, dating back to the Third Conference last year, and it was at Sta. Lucia’s expense–90-83 last Nov. 23. So Chua had an axe to grind.

Besides, Chua felt it was time to give back to Sta. Lucia management for expressing confidence in his ability to take over the squad from Norman Black.

Not that Chua was expected to make an immediate impact. It’s difficult to turn things around in a snap for a team coming off a 17-18 campaign without a single semifinals appearance and a major personnel facelift.

In the offseason, Chua brought in seven new players, including 29-year-old rookie Paeng Santos who’s in the injured reserve list. The six newcomers in the active roster are Duremdes, Wilmer Ong, Allan Yu, Jason Webb, Jomar Tierra, and Leo Bat-og. The holdovers are Marlou Aquino, Dennis Espino, Gerard Francisco, Adriano, Paolo Mendoza, Chito Victolero and Chris Tan.

In Sta. Lucia’s season debut on inaugural day, the Realtors got it on the chin from Alaska. Chua’s five starters accounted for all Sta. Lucia’s points as the bench went blank in the Aces’ 91-82 triumph last Feb. 23. With four starters logging at least 40 minutes, Chua gave his reserves little opportunity to show their stuff. And because the bench hardly contributed, Chua couldn’t get his vaunted run-and-gun game going. The starters had to pace themselves because of their extensive minutes. As a result, the Realtors produced only seven fastbreak points compared to Alaska’s 13. Another soft spot was rebounding as Sta. Lucia grabbed only 37 or 18 less than the Aces.

The Realtors went up against Ginebra in its next assignment last March 1. This time, Chua’s bench delivered 11 points but the five starters still hogged the minutes. Sta. Lucia scored only seven fastbreak points and lost an 89-82 verdict. Chua’s consolation was the Realtors played tougher than when they were blown out by Alaska. Sta. Lucia was still outrebounded but not by much–Ginebra plucked down 48 boards and the Realtors, 46.

In the dressing room before the FedEx contest, Chua was surprisingly upbeat. "We’re improving game after game," he said. "We’ve got a few surprises for FedEx. You just watch."

Sure enough, Chua surprised the Express by starting Adriano and Victolero. The trick allowed Chua to play Mendoza and Francisco off the bench. That gave Chua ammunition from his second unit and fuel to sustain a fastbreak attack. Defense was another point of focus. Chua challenged his big men–Espino and the Skyscraper–to stand their ground inside the paint.

With the masterplan laid out, it was just a matter of execution. And as it turned out, the pieces fell into place.

Aquino was frighteningly intimidating under the boards, collecting five blocked shots. Sta. Lucia’s defense held FedEx to only 32.2 percent shooting and the Realtors scored 26 turnover points to FedEx’ 15. Eight Realtors clocked double figures in minutes, compared to six in the Alaska game, so Chua had the luxury of rotating his players for continuity. The result was evident–Sta. Lucia posted 17 fastbreak points.

Webb, 29, played big for Sta. Lucia, swinging from one to two-guard depending on whom he was paired with in the backcourt. He compiled five points, four rebounds, and two assists in 27 solid minutes. Webb didn’t play at all last year–he managed a restaurant and got married during his break from the PBA. It didn’t take much convincing from Chua to bring Webb back to the game that’s a passion in his family.

Incidentally, Webb is one of six second generation players to suit up in the league. His father, Freddie, saw action from 1976 to 1978. For the record, the other father-and-son tandems are Robert and Dodot Jaworski, Marty and Jomar Tierra, Jess Migalbin and Richard Yee, Florendo and RenRen Ritualo, and Romy and Billy Mamaril.

Duremdes’ injury is a major setback. In the dressing room after Friday’s game, he was disconsolate as his swollen left ankle was being taped for the ride home. On a scale of 1 to 10, Duremdes said the level of pain was about eight. He noted that he hadn’t suffered a sprain since his rookie year for Sunkist in 1995. That sidelined Duremdes for four games in the First Conference and two in the Second.

In a TV interview, Espino said the Realtors will need a full complement to stand up to Red Bull this Wednesday. He also complimented Chua for a brilliant gameplan last Friday.

Yesterday, Chua said Duremdes and Adriano were still under observation. The good news is neither appears to be seriously hurt. Dr. George Canlas looked the players over and according to Chua, the initial findings were encouraging.

"It looks like just a normal sprain for Kenneth although we’re not sure if he can play 100 percent on Wednesday," reported Chua. "Si Kiko naman, he hurt his knee in a collision during the game. Nakakalakad naman ng straight kaya I hope there won’t be a need to do an MRI. Dr. Canlas will wait until Monday to see how the swelling is. We need both Kenneth and Kiko for Red Bull. Kiko’s job was to shut down RenRen last Friday–you saw the result, RenRen scored only two points."

Chua said playing against top contenders Alaska and Ginebra to start the season was a tall order for Sta. Lucia. For him, it was a baptism of fire. "Nangangapa pa rin ako," he explained. "It’s been a while since I was a head coach and we’ve got a lot of new players. I’m still adjusting and learning how to get things done."

With Sta. Lucia breaking into the win column, FedEx and Talk ‘N’ Text are the only remaining winless teams. But that’s another story.