PERPETUAL Help expressed optimism its rebuilding process will finally progress under former player turned coach Nosa Omorogbe, with hopes of returning to the NCAA Final Four and making another championship run in the post-Scottie Thompson era.
After crashing out of the semis and ending up at sixth place last season, the Altas tapped the former Nigerian cager to succeed Aric del Rosario as coach early this year, and the new mentor already has plans on what he envisions his team to do on the court.
"Although we have some old players, this is still a brand new team," said Omorogbe, who last suited up for the Las Pinas-based school three years ago.
"In the past, the other players were used to just watch and wait for Scottie (Thompson). Now, I keep telling them to rotate the ball and get everybody involved," he added.
Under Omorogbe, the Altas made it to the quarterfinals of the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup by finishing with a 5-2 (win-loss) record in the group stage, including rousing wins over eventual runner-up Arellano University and National University, before losing to Ateneo in the playoff round.
During the tournament, Gab Dagangon has taken over as the team's primary scorer and averaged around 16 points a game while Nigerians Bright Akhuetie and Prince Eze manned the post.
Rookies Daryl Singontiko and Jonathan Yuhico have also made good impressions, while holdovers like Jeff Coronel, Flash Sadiwa, Gerald Dizon, Kervin Lucente, and Keith Pido were all given bigger roles and have responded.
"For us to be successful, I will need my players to trust the system and their teammates," said Omorogbe.
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