Cold dogs

In 2002, the Purefoods Hotdogs experienced a storybook season in the PBA. Head coach Eric Altamirano was lent to the national team preparing for the SEA Games, as were their most important players. Assistant coach Ronnie Magsanoc was reactivated to fill in the void, leaving young assistant Ryan Gregorio a rookie apprentice as his only help. Still, the Hotdogs clinched their first title in five years, and tears of anguish evaporated into a flood of joy.

But 2003 has been a totally different story. Although the talent they assembled could match any in the league, the historic franchise, which made the All-Filipino Finals its roost, was eliminated from every tournament this year, often being the first one out the door.

"In the 35 games we played, I was always missing one player to two players or three," recalls head coach Ryan Gregorio. "So we were never complete. The injuries also took their toll."

Now, in a period of major transition, Purefoods is trying to put a brave face not just on what just happened, but on what could happen next.

"It’s always welcome for a coach who’s starting out like me to experience all problems like this," Gregorio continued. "Everything went smoothly for me in 2002, but I thought that everything that happened to me this year gave me a lot of reasons to really beef up my coaching knowledge and think about the team, as well.

"For me, it’s a struggle," adds newcomer Rodney Santos. "We’re a new team. If good things happen, thanks, great. But what happened wasn’t good. We’ve been eliminated all three conferences."

"We feel bad, and our confidence has gone down," admits point guard Boyet Fernandez. "With all the teams in the PBA - ten - we’re always the ones losing. And we’re the first ones eliminated. So the morale is low, but we’re still hoping for next year."

But the man who’s seen it all knows that it’s a cycle, and what goes down can only come back up again.

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It’s all up to us," says Alvin Patrimonio. "The difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude. But I believe there is a plan for the team. It will be a big challenge for the team. This is the first time this has happened to us."

Aside from the injuries, Purefoods suffered from the lack of a solid point guard. Boyet Fernandez was often out with a shopping list of ailments, and Noy Castillo, more of a shooting guard, was left to step in. Purefoods, a team that always had strength inside, had nobody to penetrate, shake things up, and jumpstart the other players. It was painful to watch Patrimonio’s minutes diminish, but there was always the bottomline to consider.

"We will always have a spiritual leader in Alvin Patrimonio, but we missed players like a Dindo Pumaren or a Ronnie Magsanoc, who will always be an extension of the coach," concurs Gregorio. "Unfortunately, for us, Boyet was also hurt for much of the season. And also Ibet Demape was hurt for much of the season. So, when I was struggling to look for that guy, that’s where I had a hard time. Nobody stepped forward and said ‘I’m willing to do the job.’"

"For me, everybody should be a leader, especially the five guys on the court," Santos declares. "Not necessarily just one guy. If I need to talk, I will talk. If somebody needs to talk, they should talk. Once I step on the floor, that’s my responsibility."

A turning point was Gregorio’s two-week stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves before the current NBA season started. Since Purefoods-Hormel is partially owned by the Hormel company - whose headquarters is in Minnesota, all it took was a couple of quick, top-level phone calls for Ryan to be flying - on his own - to the Timberwolves training camp. The Timberwolves, like the Hotdogs, were a team that needed a serious facelift.

In the last seven years, Kevin Garnett’s crew has been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. They were, like Purefoods, coming up short, and needed better talent to push on to the next level.

The first thing Gregorio learned was that the Timberwolves never talked about winning, only getting better. Winning was an end result of each player and team as a whole doing what it took to improve in every area of skill and mental preparation. This lesson was branded on Gregorio’s mind, since, all year long, he had been dying to win, and wasn’t satiating his thirst for it.

Now, Purefoods is looking at loading up on young talent, and growing a new attitude. The 2004 draft will be rich and deep, since there will only be two Fil-Ams who made the cut, and many amateur and college aspirants don’t want to wait until the next draft in July of 2005.

"I want young, energetic and quick players," announces Gregorio. "And I want that kind of energy to be translated into diving for loose balls, running all the way back on transition defense, and just playing as hard as if it is always the last game. By doing that, I hope it can rub off on all the other players, and I want them to be excited again. And I’m sure, with the kind of preparation that we’re doing, everybody will be excited; I will be excited, management will be excited, players will be excited. And in the end, the fans will start cheering for Purefoods again."

If all that happens, maybe the cold days of the Hotdogs will be over.