PHOENIX Super LPG’s gamble not to start Matthew Wright paid off as the Fuel Masters eliminated Magnolia in the PBA Philippine Cup bubble.
The Fuel Masters coaching staff, on the suggestion of assistant coach Jamike Jarin, had Wright come off the bench in a bid to catch the Hotshots, one of the best defensive teams in the league, off guard tactically in the match.
“We know that coach Chito[Victolero] and the rest of the staff are really focusing their defense on Matt,” said Phoenix coach Topex Robinson. “Coach Jamike, always an out-of-the-box thinker, told me not to start Matt.
"And I said, 'Let’s go do it.' That’s the beauty of the team. I might be the head coach by title but it’s all about all of us."
Even though the Fuel Masters still needed his heroics in the end, Wright’s willingness to come off the bench was the testament to the team’s unselfishness and their trust in not just to the star player but to each other.
“When we were preparing for the starters, that was the first time Matthew Wright didn’t start for us,” Robinson said. “As a young coach, I asked permission from Matt if it was okay for him not to start."
“One thing that Matt asked me was, ‘Do you believe in that?’ I said, ‘Yes, the coaching staff believes in that.’ And he said, whatever it is that you want to do, coach, as long as you believe in that, I’m all for you.'
"That’s just trust. Your best player sacrificing a starting spot for the good of the whole team is just magical for us,” said Robinson.
Magical was also how Robinson described Wright’s game-winner in the 89-88 win. Wright escaped the defense of Mark Barroca to bury a running three-point shot with 9.8 seconds left, enough for the Fuel Masters to reach the semifinals.
“I don’t know how he made that shot. He just told me after that shot, ‘You trust me, coach’ and I said, ‘With all my heart.’ It’s just something special. It’s so magical,” Robinson said.
After beating the runners-up of the Philippine Cup over the past two years, Robinson’s team now looks ahead to a face-off against TNT in the semifinals.
“We are just happy to be here being the best version of ourselves,” said Robinson.
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