CONVERGE is on a roll during the preseason after racking up a couple of victories, but head coach and Pampanga vice governor Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda would rather see the wins come during the actual season.
The FiberXers are the talk of the town not just after selecting Juan Gomez de Liaño at No. 2 in the Season 50 Draft, but also with their performances in the tune-up games where they defeated Meralco, Blackwater, NLEX, and even reigning Philippine Cup champion San Miguel.
Despite the progress, Pineda is tempering expectations on the team, mostly composed of young players, but also recognizes the potential to go far in the conference if all the pieces come together.
“Pero siyempre, don’t expect too much,” said Pineda in a recent interview with SPIN.ph. “Maraming malalakas na team diyan. Maraming beterano. (Kami) talagang puro bata. Ang eldest is Racal pero the rest, bata na.”
“In terms of experience, lalo na ‘yung mga crucial game, iba pa rin ‘yung may edad, experience,” the rookie PBA coach added.
READ: Converge scores fourth straight preseason win at expense of SMB
Gomez de Liaño have joined forces with Converge’s Twin Towers of Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana, Alec Stockton, and Schonny Winston, bringing promise to a team that have only reached as far as the quarterfinals in six occasions.
The farthest it went was last season where it reached winner-take-all games twice – first against San Miguel in Game 5 of the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, and second against Rain or Shine in Game 3 of the Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.
Of the two, the Commissioner’s Cup was a heartbreaker as it already won the first game of a best-of-three against Rain or Shine only to lose the final two matches.
“Pero malay mo, makuha namin dahil sa bata ‘yung amin. How many years na rin magkakasama. Unti-unting natututo, unti-unting nag-aadjust, nakokorek namin ‘yung mga mali. Kapag nabuo namin ‘yung young team, medyo malayo ang aabutin,” said Pineda.
In the days leading up to the coming season, Pineda said work must continue for the FiberXers with competition expected to be tougher this season.
“Kailangan naming i-prepare ang mga bata. Pag hindi naka-prepare, don’t expect much na magiging (maganda) outcome sa conference na ‘to. Nasa amin ‘yun. Kami ang magdadala ng whole team. The players, we need their cooperation and hardwork para mapakita natin sa conference na mai-aangat natin ang team."
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