TOO much talent is a problem most teams would gladly take.
For Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses, it appears to be one he has finally solved.
The Cool Smashers were stunned in their conference opener, swept by PLDT in a result that left the 10-time champions looking uncharacteristically flat.
READ: Creamline repels upset-conscious Galeries Tower in four sets
But since that setback, Creamline has rattled off four straight wins over Choco Mucho, ZUS Coffee, Capital1 and Galeries Tower. Three were decided in four sets while they swept the Bella Belen-led Solar Spikers.
More importantly, Meneses has found rhythm in his rotations.
Mixing and matching his deep roster has paid dividends, a promising sign for a squad intent on restoring its championship-level sharpness.
For Creamline, sustained success has never been about a handful of stars carrying the load.
“Meron naman na talaga kaming rotation talaga. Talagang siyempre as a team, kailangan din ng mga role players, mga off the bench,” Meneses said.
“Hindi ka naman magiging champion team kung mga anim hanggang pito lang ‘yung gumagawa kaya happy kami kasi ‘yung mga nasa bench, nagpe-perform din.”
And Creamline’s bench is hardly ordinary.
In their latest win, reserves included decorated veterans Alyssa Valdez, Michele Gumabao, Kyle Negrito and Bea de Leon, players who would start for most teams in the league.
Ahead of them in the rotation stand equally imposing pillars in Bernadeth Pons, Jema Galanza, Pangs Panaga, Tots Carlos, and Jia de Guzman, a starting core as formidable as can be.
As for whether the early stumble still lingers, Meneses is confident in his balanced squad but just as cautious of what the rest of the field can still put up in the second half of the preliminaries.
“Sana magtuloy-tuloy pa sa mga next game namin at mas maganda pa ‘yung ipakita nila. ‘Yung rotation namin, nandiyan naman na rin ‘yan at okay na naman,” he said.
“Walang team ngayon na hindi talaga lumalaban kaya dapat every possession, ready ka.”
With a 10-time champion team like Creamline, depth isn’t just a luxury. It's the formula.
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