The Bolts are gunning for their first ever PBA title.
For some reason, the Meralco Bolts just can’t get over the hump.
Entering the 48th season of the PBA, the Bolts are hoping to finally change their fortunes. That’s why in the upcoming Commissioner’s Cup, Meralco is coming in armed with extra preparations, including a tournament stint abroad and an immediate import switch.
Last month, the Bolts participated in the Doha International Basketball Championship, wherein they finished with a 1-4 win-loss slate. Despite the losing record, coach Luigi Trillo believes that being able to face high level competition before the new PBA season tips off in November could actually be a blessing in disguise.
“It's such a good thing for our guys to get exposed there," Trillo said, as quoted by the PBA website.
"I think overall, it was good for the players. To get experience and to play through those stuff will make us a better team, he added.
The Bolts were a late addition to the Qatar tilt. Unsurprisingly, the short prep time factored in Meralco’s poor performance.
"Obviously we want to do well, but with the preparation we had, I know we could do better if we had maybe three weeks to get the guys in," said Trillo who took over for Norman Black as the Bolts’ headmaster back in May.
Perhaps one positive thing that came out in Meralco’s Doha stint was realizing early on that they needed to replace reinforcement Feron Hunt with Suleiman Braimoh. Since his acquisition, Braimoh and the rest of the Bolts should’ve had enough time to get familiar with each other’s tendencies and style of play. In fact, it may be not too much to ask for a certain level of good chemistry to be evident among them when the season-opening conference tips off on November 5.
And so the question is: Will the Bolts finally get over that hump this time?
Best tune in then!
(MDB)