Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
    View Today
    Sun, Nov 5

    Coach Duckey reveals AP.Bren nearly missed their first MPL S12 match

    Bren only had a few hours to prepare for S12
    Sep 9, 2023
    undefined
    PHOTO: MOONTON Games

    "WALA KAMING preparation for this," are the exact words that AP.Bren head coach Francis "Duckey" Glindro mentioned at the start of the press conference. Even his assistant, Coach Vrendon Pesebre shared the same sentiments via Twitter.

    And why was the team unprepared? The members of AP.Bren who represented Sibol had to deal with a shortened timeframe from IESF to MPL Philippines Season 12. Before the IESF even began, Bren had to deal with a truckload of tournaments such as the SEA Games and ESL Snapdragon.

    Last September 3, Sibol secured the gold medal finish over Indonesia and five days later they'll immediately compete in Season 12.

    As the days went by, a crisis began to surface. It was revealed that the players were initially denied of an opportunity to return home.

    "Mahirap yung nangyari sa amin e. We were denied boarding, at least players ko, were denied boarding in Iasi, going to Bucharest," revealed Coach Duckey during the press conference. "Going to Bucharest, nag-bus sila for 6 hours only to be denied again boarding in Bucharest."

    He further added: "So unfortunately walang flights during that time, so we had to wait for 24 hours doon sa airport."

    With the situation getting severe, it was time for the Sibol heads to address the situation. A division of workload between Sibol's Jeff Victoriano and Jab Escutin took place, while Coach Duckey decided to stay with his players, despite having the go signal to travel.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    "Nagpaiwan kasi ako sa kanila e. Hindi naman talaga ako dapat made-deny ng boarding kaso wala kasi silang (AP.Bren players) kasama. Hindi ako sumakay ng eroplano and I just went with the team," explained Duckey.

    And if the crisis wasn't resolved ASAP, Bren may not be able to attend their Season 12 opener against TNC.

    "Actually hindi na kami sure kung aabot kami, kasi kung matuloy kami ng 9pm, I don't think we can play the opening match," reflected Duckey.

    But as the door was about to close, came a small ray of hope.

    undefined

    CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓
    Watch Now

    Hope arrives

    "Luckily, sinagip kami ni Boss Marlon (Marcelo). Shoutout sa buong team Sibol and PESO, sobrang laking pasasalamat namin sa kanila kase hindi nila kami pinabayaan doon," said the AP.Bren and Sibol head coach.

    With Sibol and PESO working clockwork to address the issue, it was finally time for AP.Bren to fly home. The members of the team spent 35 hours or two days travelling home.

    At exactly 1 AM, hours before their opening game against TNC, the team finally returned to the Philippines, and while it may seem like home sweet home, the job wasn't over for the gold medalists.

    "Noong pagkauwi namin, ako kasi dumiretso sa bahay. Gusto ko talagang magpahinga e. Yung iba sa bootcamp dumiretso kasi may laban bukas," revealed team captain Kyle Angelo "Pheww" Arcangel in the press conference.

    And with the different device settings from the IESF and MPL, the players took time to familiarize themselves.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    "Naglaro sila just to be familiar with the device again, kasi in Iasi (IESF) the device that we used there was totally different with what we are using in the MPL. It was a bigger device, yung dimensions niya is totally different," explained Duckey.

    Yet despite the immediate grind to prepare themselves in their opener, Coach Duckey encouraged his team to rest well.

    "I'd say yung iba, I think got more than eight hours of sleep because it's very important kasi. That's why I don't encourage nga yung 24/7 grind. I would rather they sleep na lang at night."

    And as his players approached Season 12 with little to no preparation, Duckey eased the burden from his players, saying: "I'm not going to pressure you to win this game, but I'm going to pressure you to just perform or just give your best shot."

    He wanted his team to show what they performed in the IESF which materialized given Bren's sweep over TNC.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    undefined

    Setting expectations

    Coach Duckey's narrative revealed one important attribute when it comes to coaching: managing and setting expectations.

    So far 2023 has been a stacked year for the Beehive as they competed in various tournaments left and right, but Duckey made sure that he steered his team to the right path.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    "We actually had this change of mentality that we cannot win all of these things na sa sasalihan natin," started Duckey. "But every time that we finish a game, huwag kayong tumingin sa likod, sa harap lang."

    As to why Duckey encouraged his players to look forward? Here's what he has to say.

    "Harap lang yung lakad. The moment that you actually look back with all these tournaments right in front of you, that's when you get demotivated, kasi you look back and you think about the 'what-ifs."

    Given the overall results, it seems his players have taken his words of wisdom into practice, something that brings a smile to the M2 World Champion coach.

    "So I think that's the biggest thing that these boys adopted, which I'm really happy about kasi as a coach, that's a good thing that you're seeing yung mga tinuturo mo sa kanila is something that they embody moving forward."

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    "I think that's one of the biggest factors that changed in this group."

    With a different mindset, perhaps this could be the season (or even better the entire year) where Bren could win it all.

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

    Read Next
    Watch Now
    Sorry, no results found for
    PHOTO: MOONTON Games
  • POLL

    • Quiz

      Quiz Result