WITH the Vigan Baluarte Wolves making strides in the first three legs, former pro Karl Dehesa is expecting big things ahead in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup.
Dehesa was instrumental in helping reach the semifinals in back-to-back legs, a big jump after going winless in the opening tour.
"There's growth in our team, so that means we're improving in each leg. That's what we want to do: get better and improve our standing in each leg," he said.
Dehesa, the 31-year-old guard who had stops with Kia, GlobalPort, and Phoenix in the PBA, has been the consummate veteran for Vigan Baluarte with fellow ex-pro Joshua Webb as well as JR Ongteco, Michael Acuna and playing-owner Christian Singson.
And for him, the progress is brought upon by the team blending in well with each other.
"We're just familiarizing ourselves with each other. It's the first time for a lot of my teammates to play 3x3, so just getting familiar with the game, with each other, and building a chemistry with each other, that's big for us," he said.
"I'm very optimistic. The first leg was very disappointing, while in the second leg, we won. We just want to get better every leg," he said. "We have our goals, but Lord knows that there's ups and downs. This is just the beginning and we're working on something bigger than this."
But don't fault Dehesa if he plays with a lot of chip on his shoulder. That's just how the man operates.
"Of course, as a competitor, you always play with a chip on your shoulder. You always need that edge to compete and win and prove that you deserve to be here," he said.
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