STUNNING as the news of Alaska's imminent departure from the PBA, Jeron Teng said that the development only bolstered the bond of the team as they look end franchise's 35-year run on a high.
"I think it gave us a common purpose lang to stick together as a team and play with purpose," Teng told Spin.ph. "It's our last conference as the Alaska Aces and we want to end it with a bang."
Teng shared that the news caught the team off guard as owner Wilfred Steven Uytengsu sought to have an audience with the team before their practice on Wednesday morning at Gatorade Hoops Center.
"We were all shocked. Before we started practice today, boss Fred wanted to talk to us and us players had no clue what it's about. It was hard for him to say it pero yun nga, it's our last conference already."
Understandably, it was such tough news for Uytengsu to break and for the players to take as they face an uncertain future after this season.
Jeron Teng hopes to deliver a title for Alaska in its farewell tournament.
Teng, who was picked No. 5 in the 2017 PBA Draft and has called the Aces his home for the past four seasons, also felt the same.
"We're all saddened by the news and it really affected all of us. But sabi ko nga, it's all the more reason for us to stick together," he said.
Uytengsu, though, said that Alaska won't go down without a fight as he hopes to win title No. 15 this conference -- one that Teng and Co. also hope to do.
"Right now, we just have to focus on the task at hand we still have at least six more games. So for us, we plan to play for one another and win as much as we could," he said.
Teng also acknowledged the possibilities that await the Aces, either through a franchise sale or a dispersal draft.
And it's all the more reason for the players and the team to perform better to make themselves appealing for whichever company ever inquires on taking over the squad.
"We know na someone's gonna buy this team, so we want to prove that we're a winning team," he said.
Alaska currently holds a 3-2 win-loss record, with its first game back set on Thursday against Rain or Shine.
Through it all, Teng will always look back on this chapter of his life with a big smile on his face, that he will always treasure calling himself a true-blue Alaska man.
"Being an Alaska Ace meant a lot to me. This is first team in the PBA and they took care of me real well," he said. Boss Fred led this team with integrity and treated us as family members. I've learned so much on my four years here and yun yung mga bagay na di mo mababayaran. I will always be thankful for our time together."
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