Compton says SMB coaches did a fine job
Alaska Coach Alex Compton yesterday said they need to find ways to rediscover how to win a championship again while congratulating San Miguel Beer (SMB) for its impressive four-game sweep of their PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
“They clearly deserve it,” Compton said two days after the Aces were beaten 91-81 by the Beermen in Game 4 of their series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces were hoping to even the score with the Beermen after losing a hard-fought seven-game championship duel in the Philippine Cup last January.
But San Miguel, working behind its fast-paced offense and inspired performances from import Arizona Reid and two-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, dominated Alaska right from the series opener to capture its 21st title in the pro league.
Compton was quick to praise his SMB counterpart Leo Austria, who ended his first year as Beermen tactician with two championships, all at the expense of his former assistant.
Austria used to have Compton as his chief lieutenant during his days with the Welcoat Dragons (now Rain or Shine Elasto Painters) from 2006-2008.
“We tried to change some of our defense and gave them different looks. But that shows how excellent the coaching of San Miguel which is led by coach Leo (Austria).”
“They’re not just a very talented team, but they’re a smart team, and that starts to their coach (Austria).”
Despite the twin defeat this season, Alaska was able to earn the respect of rival teams and basketball followers.
The Aces were given several nicknames by fans and observers such as the “Comeback Kids” and “Never Say Die Team”, prompting team owner Wilfred Uytengsu to call them the “Never Quit Squad”.
But despite the growing adulation, Compton felt a title trophy would have been a fitting reward.
“I appreciate that people are saying we overachieved this season because we reached the finals twice, even though we lost to a better team. That we were almost there,” said the 41year-old former Metropolitan Basketball Association cager.
“But… almost isn’t winning. We didn’t win anything. We’ve shown that we can compete for a title, but we’ve got to earn it. So we’ve got to find ways to get better.