The price of success

CEBU CITY – Philippine Cup champion Purefoods Chunkee Giants head coach Ryan Gregorio gave a stirring speech to open the Cebu leg of the last adidas Streetball Challenge at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit here. He recalled the struggle and lack of faith in his team that greeted them at the start of their campaign, when they were seeded seventh.

"People didn’t believe in us, so I challenge you to keep telling yourselves otherwise," Gregorio told the players. "When they tell you you’re small, tell yourself ‘I’m quick.’ When they say you can’t beat this player or that team, tell yourself you can."

There were several things that stood in their way, aside from their say. They were living without rookie power forward Jondan Salvador, who tore his knee in the finals of the last conference, which Purefoods lost to Red Bull, falling two game short of a title. Salvador had bulked up to become an overachieving power forward, an immovable object in the paint.

"We got away with it in this conference," Gregorio admitted. "That is why I have become a firm believer in having a perimeter game if you’re a big man. All of Jun Limpot’s career, his teams weren’t able to maximize his perimeter game. Kerby Raymundo developed his perimeter game, and he played big."

Also key were additions like Finals MVP Marc Pingris, and returnees like Mythical Team member Roger Yap, whom people weren’t really taking a second look at.

"When Roger Yap became a free agent after Shell left the league, I knew I wanted to get him," Gregorio told all the adidas Streetball participants. "I knew he never gave up, so he fit in perfectly with our team. That’s what I like about players, especially Cebuano players."

Now, though, Purefoods is going to start paying for its surprising success. First of all, the players are mandated to have a five-week vacation. Jokingly, their mentor said it’s because he was tired of seeing them all the time.

"I told them, I don’t want to see your faces until five weeks from now," Gregorio laughed, enjoying his first championship in three years. "We were together every day for six months. We needed a break."

The Giants will also be picking ninth, right before newcomer Welcoat. They will also have to leave at least two members of their championship team unprotected for the coming expansion draft.

"We still need a big man, but I don’t think we’ll get any through the draft," Gregorio admitted. "So we’ll probably have to look at trades. But I haven’t really thought about it yet. This conference was very hard for us. We’re enjoying our break."

Gregorio was also appointed head coach of the adidas Philippines Streetball team that will see action in the Asian finals in Guangzhou, China at the end of the month, and get to meet NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets. McGrady might make a long-awaited side trip to the Philippines after Guangzhou, should plans fall into place.

"I’m looking for unselfishness, teamwork, and sacrifice," he said. "If you look at our team, we don’t believe in personal laurels. Those will come, once you’ve sacrificed for the team. That’s why players like Arnold Gamboa and Don Camaso were important for us. We had players who were happy just to push the starters in practice, whether or not they got any playing time. But in the Finals, they were also surprises working in our favor. They were ready."

So now, the Chunkee Giants are enjoying their reign. When the next season opens, they will already have to face the challenge of keeping it. Being a champion is just like love, they say: you fight so hard to get it, and even harder to keep it.