CREAMLINE head coach Sherwin Meneses could have easily kept Jaja Santiago-Minowa on the sidelines before her expected PVL Invitational debut.
With the week-long tournament set by month's end, Creamline had little reason to expose its newest star in a non-bearing preseason game, especially with the Cool Smashers already having a glimpse of what the former PVL MVP could bring during the Rebisco Sisterhood Showdown earlier this week in Cagayan de Oro.
But that was precisely why Meneses wanted Santiago-Minowa on the court.
READ: These are what Jaja plans to bring to the table for Creamline
Creamline used its final PVL on Tour game against Galeries Tower on Saturday as a dress rehearsal of sorts, nine days before it begins its bid for a 12th PVL title and third Invitational crown.
Santiago-Minowa played limited minutes in Cagayan de Oro by design. This time, Meneses wanted her to experience the rhythm of an actual PVL game with her new teammates, giving the 6-foot-5 middle blocker another opportunity to begin building the timing and chemistry that cannot be fully replicated behind closed doors.
The result was a 25-21, 25-16, 25-21 victory over Galeries Tower to close the preseason caravan, with Santiago-Minowa getting six points in another meaningful step toward integrating herself of the Creamline system.
“Excited kami kasi siyempre, Jaja Santiago ‘yan. Ang gusto namin din mangyari talaga, mas maganda ‘yung maging chemistry ng game lalo na’t parating na ‘yung Invitational," said Meneses.
"‘Yun ‘yung pinaka-importante kasi’ yung skills ng team, nandiyan na eh. Pero I think ‘yung with Jaja, mas madali kaming makakagalaw. Talagang time lang ‘yung makakapagsabi."
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That decision was less about testing whether Santiago-Minowa still had the skills that made her one of the league's most dominant players and more about figuring out how those skills fit within a Creamline team that already has an established identity.
“Kasama sa programa namin talaga na palaruin siya dito para ‘yung adjustments pagpasok ng Invitational, ‘yung chemistry, hindi na ganun kahirap hanapin,” Meneses said.
Santiago-Minowa's return to the PVL was not simply a matter of plugging a former MVP into an already-loaded lineup.
Creamline has no shortage of star power, with the bigger task bent on ensuring all the pieces move together. That has long defined the Cool Smashers’ many championship runs, with their success built less on individual stars and more on chemistry forged over the years.
For Meneses, that remains the priority with Santiago-Minowa joining an already star-studded roster.
“‘Yung performance ni Jaja talagang nandyan talaga eh. Hinahanap na lang namin ‘yung jell ng laro talaga, ‘yung tempo ng laro.”
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