MAGNOLIA coach Chito Victolero is optimistic that Ricardo Ratliffe will get back to the old form that fans remember him from his first stint with the Hotshots on a consistent basis in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup.
Victolero revealed that the Hotshots import was dealing with a shoulder injury early in the conference, and the holiday break gave Ratliffe enough time to heal.
From the looks of it, Ratliffe looked fully fit again as he had 32 points and 14 rebounds in Magnolia’s 89-84 win over Terrafirma on Friday, raising Victolero's confidence that the Hotshots import will play a lot better in the coming matches.
“Na-rest niya ‘yung body niya as well as ‘yung injury niya. With the help of the locals, we will have a good run this next few games,” said Victolero.
Victolero said Ratliffe never used the injury as an excuse, and still played his heart out early in the conference.
“It’s a shoulder injury. It happened in our second game against Converge. So talagang dinadala niya,” said Victolero.
“Si Ricardo naman, tahimik lang ‘yun. Kumbaga, no excuses for Ricardo. The medical staff did a good job of handling the injury. But right now, I think he’s 100 percent. It’s good for us,” said Victolero.
Consistent and a workhorse
Ratliffe’s performance bodes well for Magnolia as it now faces June Mar Fajardo and San Miguel in their Sunday showdown at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ratliffe started out strong for Magnolia against Terrafirma, scoring 16 points in the first half, and maintained that form until the final buzzer. He even scored the dagger basket with 29.3 seconds left to settle the final score.
“Ricardo is always consistent. I talked to him about being aggressive on both ends of the floor, not only on offense but on defense,” said Victolero.
Zav Lucero said the coaching staff has always encouraged the locals to be confident when a chance to take a shot comes, counting on Ratliffe’s ability to crash the boards.
“Ricardo, he is consistent and a workhorse. We are encouraged to take the opportunities and Ricardo is going to clean it up. He is an unselfish player. It’s easy to play with him. Trying to find my opportunities around him,” said Lucero.
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