By Reuel Vidal

HISTORICALLY, if the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants are off to a good start, then they usually finish big. After strong starts, they won the 2007 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup and finished second in the 2008 PBA Philippine Cup after extending the champion Sta. Lucia Realtors to the full seven games in the championship.

And just like those past two conferences, Purefoods is again off to a good start this conference.

“We won our first two games and hopefully we can sustain the effort that will propel us to greater heights,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio. “Our ultimate goal is to make the playoffs and we’re well within sight. With a 2-0 card we have a good start. We are all upbeat and confident that sana mabiyayaan ng kampyonato kami ngayong conference.”

Gregorio said they have a difficult time catching up if they start a conference poorly.

“We have struggles and cannot win games that we need to win to climb back,” said Gregorio. “So far, there are only minor injuries. In our first game against Talk N Text, Rico Villanueva sprained his ankle and was not 100 percent against Rain or Shine. PJ Simon’s right knee is sore. But they’re playing, which keeps our rotation in order.”

Simon was a warrior against the Elasto Painters, providing the spark off the bench and scoring the crucial points in overtime to power Purefoods to victory.

“Malaking pasalamat ko talaga kay PJ,” said Gregorio. “Sabi niya sa akin: ‘Coach hanggang kaya kong maglaro ilalaro ko.’ Ngayon bugbog lang so I am giving him rest during practices. But hindi naman ma a-aggravate ang injury pag naglalaro kaya I also give him the chance to play sa actual games.”

Simon pleaded to his coach to let him play against Rain or Shine. After their trainers gave the go-signal that playing will not aggravate the injury, he was fielded in by Gregorio.

“Another big boost for us is our roster upgrade,” said Gregorio. “Maganda ang pasok ni Don Allado, KG Canaleta at Al Vergara. Allado is enjoying the freedom in our freewheeling system. Sabi nga niya sa akin: ‘I didn’t realize coach that I could still score.’ So he’s really enjoying himself playing for us.”

Allado frees Kerby Raymundo and James Yap because he is also a scoring threat.

“Scoring is not the only department where Don Allado helps us,” said Gregrorio. “The real value of Don is not just on the offensive end. The real value of Don is that he is a leader. He is a well-respected guy. When he talks, players listen. So he is a good leader also for the team.”

The biggest beneficiaries of the addition of new personnel are Yap and Raymundo.

“Sabi nila mas magaan maglaro ngayon,” said Gregorio. “Kasi noon they were always attacked offensively and defensively. Meaning hindi lang sila na do-double team sa depensa but sa opensa ng kalaban inaatake din sila. Ang strategy ng kalaban is to tire them. Opposing teams think they have a better chance of winning if those two guys are tired.”

Not only are Yap and Raymundo not pressured so much when they are on the floor, Gregorio now has the luxury of being able to rest Yap and Raymundo more.

“Like I always promised them sa off-season, the biggest gift I could give them this conference is more rest,” said Gregorio. “Right now I am playing them 35 to 37 minutes a game. They’re able to rest. They are able to exert maximum effort every time they are on the floor. They are playing quality minutes every time they stop on the playing floor which makes them more dangerous. So that is encouraging for everybody on the team.”

Gregorio said he is impressing upon the players the importance of playing hard and with intensity during the early part of the season.

“We missed the playoffs by one game last conference and we won’t wait for the latter part of the season to start pushing the right buttons. As soon as you step on the playing court whether it’s just game two of the regular season or game seven of the playoffs you have to immediately give your best effort and adopt that playoff mentality,” said Gregorio.



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