Compton, Alaska relieved to finally get over frustration of long losing skid

FOR three straight games, Alaska looked like a team that has made a championship run four times over the last three seasons.

Calvin Abueva back in his role as the team’s energy guy and a healthier JVee Casio returning from an injury, the Aces had won three in a row to put themselves in contention for a playoff berth.

But for head coach Alex Compton, the sense of urgency to win after snapping a 14- game losing skid, is now beginning to come into fore. At 3- 6 record, the Aces are still in 10th place, but they are just half a game behind GlobalPort and a full game behind Blackwater.

The American mentor wants to keep that energy going moving forward heading to the crucial stretch and he shared his views to

“What I appreciate is the effort and determination. I still felt we need to get better because we’re playing two strong teams next. If only we’ll be allowed to play Miriam High School in the next two games, but the Commissioner won’t allow it,” said Mr. Compton in jest.

Turning serious, Mr. Compton believes they need to come out prepared against last season’s runner- up, Meralco.

“We’ve got to play a lot better. We want a real hard work. A real hard work without the sloppiness,” added Mr. Compton. “Meralco, it’s tough. (Allen) Durham is a great import. It’s really a great choice for them.”

Mr. Durham, the reigning Best Import in the Governors’ Cup, has gotten a lot better since his last two stints in the PBA. He has been a big part of the Bolts’ solid campaign as the team had won six of the eight games so far.

“I think they ( Meralco) look better than this conference last year. They’re scary. Coach Norman (Black) is doing a heck of a job at Meralco and Durham, he almost had a 30-30 last game. They’re playing as a team, they’re moving the ball and they have a 6- 5 import who plays like he’s 6- 9. He’s so strong, he rebounds and he seems to me, from the outside, is a great teammate. Cliff Hodge also came back and I thought he looked good for them,” said Mr. Compton.

Since winning its first game of the tournament in an out of town game, the Aces had rediscovered their winning ways.

“We want to get over the frustration, executing when we needed to. But we weren’t doing our stuff well,” added Mr. Compton. “We’re doing well enough to keep us in close games, but not enough well to close out games. So close and close out is different. Close doesn’t get you any win. You need to close out games. In the past, we were able to do that pretty well. We kinda lost our way a little bit. So, we were getting over the frustration and making the plays together as a team. Guys are now beginning to feel more positive.” —