By REYNALD MAGALLON
New Magnolia head coach LA Tenorio isn’t getting carried away with all the excitement and the hype after picking up his first PBA win as a head coach – one that came even at the expense of his long time mentor Tim Cone of Barangay Ginebra.
It’s been clear in Tenorio’s mind, even before the start of the game, that the contest isn’t about him nor his matchup against Cone but rather the Magnolia players and how the team goes on from this point.
“I hope that this will be the start of a good journey,” said Tenorio after the Hotshots essayed an 80-73 win over the Kings to open the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup.
“Again, it’s not about me, it’s for the players. Ako lang yung tinitingnan dito but they have to see that on the bigger picture, it’s really the team of Magnolia. I’m just here to guide them,” he added.
As good as it is to immediately win right on his first game, Tenorio said Magnolia cannot get a little too high as it’s only been one game into the season. The 41-year-old mentor himself is not letting his focus slip away by the first win.
“We got this win, we got this victory out of our chest. But this is just the start of our journey. This is just the start ng journey ko sa Magnolia,” said Tenorio.
“So I cannot be complacent. Sinasabi ko sa mga players na we have to get better everyday. We have to be disciplined,” he added.
The Hotshots did look better in their first game with Zavier Lucero leading the charge with 17 points. Jerom Lastimosa and new addition Javi Gomez de Liano had 14 apiece.
More than the offense looking effective, Magnolia’s defense also looked solid under Tenorio, limiting Ginebra to under 75 points.
“We have to be focused on the things that we need to do. And let’s not worry about the other team, kung anong gagawin nila sa atin. Basta ang importante yung gusto nating gawin dito sa team,” he added.
“Remember, may pinaghahandaan kami mas malaki. May pinaghahandaan kami mas malaki. So ganon din ako as a coach. I want to learn everyday. I want to get better. I want to, as much as possible, stay disciplined,” he added.
