DESPITE an early playoffs exit in the PBA Governors Cup, Phoenix coach Charles Tiu hopes to keep the promising young core of the Fuel Masters come the 51st season of the league.
And foremost of them is to give charismatic shooting guard Ricci Rivero a new contract extension.
Although disappointed with the way the team ended its campaign in the PBA’s golden season, Tiu said he wants to see an intact Fuel Masters nucleus by next year.
READ: Quickfire NLEX first to PBA semis after 48-point rout of Phoenix
“I’ve been asking management na sana we can keep our core because I really like the pieces that we have,” said Tiu after Phoenix got swept, 3-0, by NLEX following a 137-89 rout in Game 3 of their playoff series Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Phoenix coach mentioned Rivero, Gian Mamuyac, Kai Balunggay, Kenneth Tuffin, Jason Perkins, and Tyler Tio as the main core of the group which Tiu inherited when he took over the coaching helm midway in Season 50.
“We should be able to keep the core, I hope. I really want to keep the core.”
Rivero has become the focal point of Phoenix this season and this conference alone, has led the team in scoring by averaging 14.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
A slight ankle sprain kept him to just eight points in the team’s final game of the season.
Rivero’s live contract will expire by December.
In the two conferences he handled the team, Tiu was able to steer the Fuel Masters to back-to-back quarterfinal appearances and actually, could have gotten deeper into the playoffs had it not been to injuries suffered by Ballungay in the Commissioner’s Cup and Perkins in the season-ending conference.
“I don’t want to make excuses, but my first conference was pretty tough as we played it without Kai since he got hurt. And ito naman, when Perk got down, I think we’re 1-7 without him,” noted the Phoenix coach.
“We haven’t really been healthy at all in the two conferences na full force when it mattered at least,” he said.
“Maybe we can build on it, that when we’re healthy, we’re a decent team,” added Tiu. “No excuses, that’s part of the PBA na may mga injuries," he continued. “I still think our team has the pieces which given the time together, we’ll get even better.”
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