Mahindra Enforcers bent on making things work
THEIR coaching setup may be uncanny but the Mahindra Enforcers are making it work and along with it creating waves in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.
As things stand, Manny Pacquiao, senator and international boxer, is listed as the Enforcers’ playing coach with first- time PBA coach Chris Gavina as his head deputy and is handling the day- to- day conduct for the team.
While Mr. Pacquiao is busy as well attending to his other duties and endeavors, Mahindra has hardly stumbled in the season- ending PBA tournament, currently sporting a 5- 2 record and joint second in the standings.
It is a product, the team said, of its concerted effort to make things click and fluid as possible and its desire to achieve greater heights as it goes about in its participation in the local pro league.
“We all know that Mahindra head coach is Manny Pacquiao. Despite our setup he’s involved in our game plan. He gets video of our practices so he knows what’s happening within the team. I’m just handling the dayto-day stuff for us in practice and training,” said Mr. Gavina in an interview with Businessworld, talking about the dynamic be- tween him and Mr. Pacquiao at the coaching helm.
“But having him ( Pacquiao) beside me and our players really inspire us. Whenever we struggle he comes to us and gives us words of encouragement. He is a great motivator,” he added.
Credited with the current success of the Enforcers, Mr. Gavina chose to highlight how it is more of team effort for them.
“I’m just really lucky to have a bunch of guys that are highly inspired and motivated to bring themselves and this team to greater heights and exceed expectations. Where we are right now is something new to us. But we continue to play and stay on an even keel. Our initial goal is to reach the quarterfinals and take it from there,” said the Mahindra deputy, who made a name for himself in the local basketball scene as a conditioning coach.
The Enforcers recently lost back- to- back games before bouncing back in their last assignment, beating the Blackwater Elite, 97- 88, where Mr. Pacquiao played and scored for points, including his first- ever three-pointer in the PBA.
For Mr. Gavina, the rough patch they had to go through was nonetheless a positive for them as they got to know themselves better which should serve them in good stead moving forward.
“Adversity brings your true character. During our losses we found ourselves as a team and in today’s game ( against Blackwater) the players showed their togetherness,” he said.
Despite experiencing success right now, the Mahindra deputy coach said they are mindful not to get ahead of themselves as bigger battles lie ahead.
“Definitely we are taking it game to game. We are just focusing on our next assignment and making sure we come prepared,” Mr. Gavina said.
Mahindra returns today to take on league- leading and undefeated TNT Ka-Tropa (6-0) at 4: 15 p. m. to be followed by the match between the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (2-4) and NLEX Road Warriors (3-4) at 7 p.m. Venue is the Smart Araneta Coliseum.