CHICAGO - Coach Chito Victolero was at the airport waiting for his overseas flight to start boarding when he picked up the phone yesterday morning.
It had been six days since Magnolia lost to San Miguel in the Commissioner's Cup Finals. The latest heartbreak, the fourth in five tries, has sparked renewed scrutiny about his tenure.
READ Victolero rues Magnolia meltdown: 'We lost in the last six minutes mentally’
Never one to duck the tough questions, Victolero answered most of the stuff I threw at him, delivering his responses with blunt force honesty.
At our No Cooking Show with multi-media sensation Snow Badua and SPIN.ph editor-in-chief Dodo Catacutan last Monday night, speculation on Victolero's job security was a topic of discourse.
"It's up to management," Victolero said whether he stays or goes. He acknowledged hearing some of the clamor for his firing and chose not to engage.
"Opinyon nila yun at ni rerespeto ko silang lahat. Alam ko naman na hindi stable ang trabaho ng isang coach."
Known as a defensive-oriented mind, Chito scoffed at the notion that his offense is limited and overly reliant on his star players.
ALL FOR ONE.
"We play a lot of motion-offense which allows everyone to score," he said while mentioning the rise of James Laput and Aristotle Dionisio as proof of the egalitarian nature of his offense.
Loyalty can be counter-productive so I asked him if his refusal to sub out his best players when they aren't performing well was holding him back.
"Who do you trust?" he fired back. "I go with the guys who are proven and deserve to be there."
I brought up two things our panel discussed: Is is time to move on from Paul Lee and has Calvin Abueva worn out his welcome?
"We return to practice on the 29th and we will assess personnel moves kung kailangan. But for now, ayaw kong may marinig silang mga trade speculations. Rest mode lang talaga kami, physical and mental."
Chito endearingly referred to his players as "family" and "soldiers," giving the impression he will ride with his core - Mark Barroca, Jio Jalalon, Lee and Ian Sangalamg - until the wheels fall off.
ALL THAT BEING SAID, SHOULD MAGNOLIA FIRE VICTOLERO?
If the Hotshots are stupid, yes. But if they want to be smart, they need to keep him.
Victolero is 2-5 in the finals. The pessimist sees it as a poor 20 percent batting average. But the optimist views finals appearances as success stories because it means landing in the Top 2 among 12.
I see a glass half full, not half empty.
The problem at Magnolia is not coaching. The problem is lack of talent to measure up against constantly reloaded superpowers such as San Miguel, Ginebra and TNT.
As Boss Dodo said in our show, the Hotshots are the "ugly ducklings" in the SMC bloc. Arguably, the least loved.
Make them look pretty, add a few championships pieces to the roster and I promise you that Victolero can make Magnolia a regular Cinderella instead of a recurring bridesmaid.
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