Newly-installed interim coach Richie Ticzon was upbeat after leading GlobalPort to a 102-92 victory in a tuneup game over Alaska on Saturday at Hoops Dome in Mandaluyong City. Still looking boyish some 19 years after being drafted into the PBA, Ticzon took the reins of one of the youngest teams in the PBA, taking over for veteran Junel Baculi. Ticzon said he was initially shocked about the coaching offer from GlobalPort owner Mikee Romero. “Nagulat talaga ako. Tinanong sa akin kung gusto mo, ayaw mo, kaya mo? Oo, sabi ko. Kasi naka-suporta naman ang lahat. It’s not just me. It’s basically the coaching staff,” said Ticzon, who joins the Batang Pier coaching staff along with Eric Gonzales, Bonnie Tan, and Mac Cuan. They join holdovers Glenn Capacio and Rommel Adducul at the Batang Pier side. “Alam ko naman ang suporta lahat ng coaches. And Boss Mikee reiterated time and again that he will behind us 100 percent. Okay lang. I’m really up to the challenge. Let’s see what happens in the next couple of months.” Ticzon realized that chemistry will be one of the challenges for the young team, which includes rookie guards Terrence Romeo, RR Garcia, LA Revilla and Jopher Custodio, forward Nico Salva, and center Justin Chua. “Actually, ilan ang rookies natin? Ang dami nating rookies at this point. Wala pa silang isang linggo na nag-pra-praktis,” Ticzon said after the game. Ticzon was known for his quickness and outside shooting as a player, earning the nickname “Velvet Touch,” and he sees the Batang Pier taking after him. “This is a young team. So tatakbo kami. We will definitely run. Awhile ago, yung rebounding namin, medyo kulang, kailangan namin i-stress ‘yun. We will go three-point shot every transition if we can. Walang problema. We have the guns to do that. We will run everytime,” he said. With little more than a week before the opening of the PBA season, Ticzon wants to work double time to get the team in fighting mode. “We emphasize all this time is the effort every practice and things will fall. Hopefully we can jell sooner than later. And sana with the response of the players, we are gearing towards the right direction. It boils down to all the effort of the guys. They really wanted to win kanina. They really wanted to show that they will compete this conference.” hotshot
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 02:50:17 +0000
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