Star now feeling sense of urgency to win after back-to-back losses

AFTER winning their first four games, the Star Hotshots had dropped their last two games, making them hard-pressed to win their next game to put themselves in a better position for the top four.

Head coach Chito Victolero and the rest of the Hotshots remain upbeat of their chances of making it to the next round, but they believe they need to play with a sense of urgency.

“We need to regroup. We need to bounce back on our next game,” Mr. Victolero told

The Hotshots will next face the Meralco Bolts, the second best team in the tournament with a 5-1 win-loss record.

“We’re facing a Meralco team which is a very strong team. We need to prepare hard for it,” added Mr. Victolero.

Despite the last two losses, Mr. Victolero is still seeing a lot of upside on the Hotshots, particularly with the returning Marc Pingris, who just played his third game with the squad.

“He’s about five, six months idle. He needs to play to get his rhythm. It takes time to get his rhythm. But I know, after a few more games, ‘Sakuragi’ will be back. He had eight rebounds the last time and by next game, he’ll be better. His offense will come along, soon,” added Mr. Victolero.

The Hotshots were coming off two tough losses, including an overtime loss to Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings on Wednesday.

Point guard Paul Lee explained that while the team was having good stretches, the squad is relatively new under the tutelage of Mr. Victolero.

“We’re OK. We’re just in our third conference with Coach Chito. It’s still a relatively new system. Slowly but surely, we’re bringing the best out of everyone. We’re working on that,” added Mr. Lee. —