Star Hotshots gear up for possible finals entry with Pingris return
AFTER TWO semifinals stints in the past two conferences, the Star Hotshots have once again put themselves in a good position to make it to the playoffs — and possibly a championship entry under coach Chito Victolero.
For four games, the Hotshots had been unbeaten and with veteran Marc Pingris back in harness, the old Purefoods franchise is making a solid push all the way in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup.
“Our mind-set is to win every game. As much as many wins we can get,” forward Allein Maliksi told BusinessWorld. “It’s important we get in a good position first, which is the top four to get as a twice- to- beat advantage. Hopefully, we’ll learn from our past experiences.”
Under Mr. Victolero, Star went a game away from making it to the championship round, losing to Barangay Ginebra in Game 7 of their Philippine Cup semifinals series in what was Mr. Pingris’ last game before being sidelined by a hip injury.
Playing without Mr. Pingris in the Commissioner’s Cup, the Hotshots still managed to make it to the top four and this time, they went on to face the San Miguel Beermen, who defeated their sister team in four games of their bestof-five semis series.
Now that Mr. Pingris has returned, the many- time All- Defensive team member is slowly but surely being integrated in the scheme of things, more importantly on the defensive side, his best contribution in the squad.
“Even though I already knew our defensive schemes, I’m still studying it to refresh my memory. I knew I can contribute more on defense,” said Mr. Pingris.
His teammates, Aldrech Ramos and Mark Barroca believe Mr. Pingris will make great contributions in their finals aspirations.
“In our first game, he was able to contribute well, even though he played for only two minutes,” added Mr. Ramos. “I don’t think he will disrupt our chemistry once he comes in. He’s the leader of this team and he knows where he can contribute.” Mr. Barroca, who teamed up with Pingris in the five-championship run the team had, including a rare grand slam in 2014, thinks having the “Pinoy Sakuragi” back in action means they will only solidify their chances of making it all the way to the championship round.
“We’re a strong team once our line up is complete even during the time of Coach Tim (Cone). Whenever some of us or one of us is down with an injury, we’re having a hard time. But with Pingris back, our target is really to get into the finals. But we believe we have to earn it and work hard for it. We’re happy now that we’re complete. Not anyone from the squad is playing heavy minutes. We’re happy because that’s an advantage for the senior statesmen of the squad. This will keep us fresh moving forward,” added —