MARLEE Smith’s brief time with Choco Mucho in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference has left much to be desired.
The 26-year-old American natural opposite missed the Flying Titans’ first two games, was fielded out of her natural position, won just once in six appearances, logged three single-digit scoring outings, and eventually slid into a second-stringer role.
READ: Creamline turns rivalry game with Choco Mucho into a mismatch
Of all teams, Choco Mucho has been the one to lean on import-less rotations the most in a campaign where their 2-5 record with one game left could very well knock them out of the playoff race.
It may be far from an ideal spot for Smith to be in, but as in any pro setup, the final call on who plays and who doesn’t ultimately rests with coaches.
“Honestly, he's the coach so he can do whatever he wants. I feel like I can and will help the team, but I can only do as much as I'm allowed to do,” Smith told SPIN.ph, referring to head coach Dante Alinsunurin’s recent in-game all-Filipino rotations.
“I’m willing to do it and I'm excited to do it, but, you know, I just have to be a good teammate. If I'm not in, I'm cheering for my teammates. And if I’m in, I'm trying to score for the team.”
In her first two outings, a sweep loss to PLDT and a sweep win over Nxled, Smith tallied her conference-high 20-point benchmark twice.
But what followed was a turbulent four-game skid where she was held to single-digits in three of those losses: four against playoff-bound Farm Fresh, five vs. defending champion Creamline, and seven on league-leading ZUS Coffee.
Still, she remains the Flying Titans' top scorer this conference, putting up 68 total points (11.3 per game) after six games.
Gambit gone wrong?
It hasn’t been easy for Smith to keep producing those numbers. Alinsunurin first deployed her as an outside hitter firing from the left wing, a departure from what she’s done most of her career taking aim at the right side as an opposite.
Smith admits how that change kept her from fully showing her A-game for Choco Mucho.
As she put it, “I feel like changing my position from outside to right side to outside to right side, it didn't really help me as an athlete.”
“But I just give my all wherever I am on the court. I'm just thankful and it is what it is.”
With the Flying Titans' playoff fate no longer fully in their hands, Smith took the chance to thank the team’s legions of fans who backed her up through the highs and lows of her PVL debut and vowed to give it her all before it all comes to a close.
“Just perseverance, prevailing, and bettering myself on and off the court. There's nothing I can do except give my all and I feel like I have,” Smith said.
“I just want to thank the Filipino fans for accepting me and always being there for me and loving on me even when things aren't going right. God bless y'all.”
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