Petron ready for PSL battle
Petron will be marching oozing with confidence when the Philippine Superliga (PSL) restarts its season.
Blaze Spikers coach Emil Lontoc said he had given his players a lot of home workouts that kept them in shape despite the long quarantine in Metro Manila.
The PSL is among the leagues heavily affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.
But it saw a glimmer of hope after the Department of Health approved its request to resume the training and conditioning sessions of its teams as soon as the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila has been formally lifted.
The green light, however, comes with some conditions, including the submission of training protocols of all member teams, appointment of a medical liaison and coordination with local government units where practices would be held for proper monitoring and compliance.
Lontoc said they would hit the ground running. “We did not waste the lockdown as we did a lot of home workouts aside from exercising on our own initiatives,” said Lontoc, one of the country’s most veteran and most decorated mentors.
“So I think we are ready whenever the league restarts.”
Hopes are high on the Blaze Spikers.
After winning the Grand Prix with Katherine Bell and Stephanie Niemer as imports, the Blaze Spikers surrendered the All-Filipino Conference title to rival F2 Logistics, which was powered by Most Valuable Player Kalei Mau.
With that, the Blaze Spikers launched a revamp that prompted Lontoc to replace Shaq Delos Santos.
“We are ready for battle and I am confident that our players will play to the best of their abilities,” Lontoc said, adding that he remains hopeful over the PSL restart.
“I am also positive that the PSL can hold a single conference this year. However, as I’m always saying, we have to be wary of what’s going on, especially with this pandemic.”