By REYNALD MAGALLON
As tough as he was when he was still a player, it was not in the demeanor of Phoenix head coach Willie Wilson to shout at his wards. But when the time called for it, he made sure he could bring that sense of urgency from his young players.
And that was exactly the case in the second half of the Fuel Masters’ stunning victory over defending champion San Miguel Beermen – something that Wilson hopes his charges would continue to have as they take on the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
“As a coach, gusto ko na mag-react sila kahit hindi ako sumisigaw. Sumigaw ako kanina, ayoko maging ganyan pero siyempre pag the moment calls for it,” said Wilson, recalling his second half outburst that seemingly got the Fuel Masters back to their senses to pull off a 109-103 win over the Beermen.
“I felt really that the time called for it kanina. So the sense of urgency coming out of the second half, more than me shouting at them, I think it was them and their will to win. And the camaraderie that they have as a team,” he added.
Splitting a tough opening schedule against last year’s finalists TNT and SMB, Phoenix has the momentum on its side when it clashes with an NLEX team looking to welcome back main man Robert Bolick in their 7:30 p.m. affair at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Setting the table to that intriguing match is a duel between a Terrafirma team aiming for back-to-back wins and Converge raring to bounce back from its Vigan setback at the hands of TNT in the first offering at 5:15 p.m.
Wilson, however, after facing up against his former coaches Chot Reyes and Leo Austria, will be tested once more by another former mentor in Jong Uichico.Wil
Uichico was Wilson’s coach when he played for Ginebra back in 2010 but the newbie coach is focusing on just helping his team further improve.
“I think the adjustment doesn’t stop. Tuloy-tuloy yung adjustment. Ang pinakita namin kanina is just a small portion of yung gusto namin ilabas sa court,” said Wilson.
“And the team is relatively new. We have seven new guys. So these guys are still learning how to get the best out of each other,” he added.
Wilson will be once again leaning on guys like Ricci Rivero, Evan Nelle and Jason Perkins as Uichico will have Kevin Alas, Xyrus Torres, and Jonnel Policarpio to back up Bolick.
