When friendship takes a backseat
Magnolia’s Chito Victolero and Alaska’s Alex Compton will set aside their friendship that began 20 years ago when they seek their first championship as coaches in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals which opens on Dec. 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Victolero and Compton were teammates and rivals during their heydays in the Metropolitan Basketball Association before taking the rigorous job as pro coaches at the end of their playing careers.
“There will come a point where you’ll face your friend, relative or a former player,” Victolero said in Filipino during Tuesday’s press conference at the Sambokojin restaurant in Eastwood City, Libis.
“The good thing about it is we’ll do our best to prepare so we can give our opponent a good fight in the Finals.”
The friendly mentors played their first MBA season in 1998 as teammates of the Manila Metrostars, with Compton recalling how he and Victolero ended up suffering a concussion in a game in Laguna.
Compton and Victolero felt short of the championship that year as the Metrostars were beaten in the Northern Conference Finals by eventual champion Pampanga Dragons.
Both would eventually win the MBA crown, with Compton claiming two with Manila in 1999 and Batangas in 2001 and Victolero for San Juan in 2000.
The two would cross paths again, this time for a shot at finally ending their heartbreaking runs as coaches.
“One of us is coming to win his first championship after this,” said Compton.
The series will also feature Magnolia import Romeo Travis facing his former team with a chance at bouncing back from a dismal showing in the 2015 Governors’ Cup Finals loss to the San Miguel Beermen.
Travis averaged 17.6 points on 36 percent shooting with 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks but the Aces were swept in four games.
“We just have to beat somebody and it just happened to be them,” said Travis, who after the presscon shared a light moment with former Aces teammates Vic Manuel and Chris Banchero. Alaska is aiming to end years of frustration after losing its last four finals appearances while Magnolia tries to bounce back from falling to San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Cup.