Air21 waiting in the wings

Air21 coach Bo Perasol said yesterday finishing on top of the eliminations is a brand-new experience for the Bert Lina franchise but the long wait for the semifinals won’t make the Express rusty in the race for the PBA Fiesta Conference crown.

For topping the double-round eliminations with a 12-6 record, the Express booked an outright ticket to the best-of-7 semifinals. Air21 plays the winner of tonight’s knockout game between Magnolia and Coca-Cola in the semis starting Sunday to end an 18-day layoff.

Perasol, 36, said it’s the first outright berth the franchise has earned since entering the league in 2002. The highest finish ever by the Express was third place as FedEx in the 2003 Invitationals and as Air21 in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference where Perasol debuted as head coach.

“I don’t think the layoff will make us rusty for Sunday,” said Perasol who worked five years for Lina as head of FedEx’ Southern Luzon operations before joining the team as former coach Bong Ramos’ assistant. “We’ve been doing game-pace practices so we’re staying sharp. Physically, we’re fine. We’re a little worried about our mental condition which is easy to fade and wane but we’re making sure our focus remains the same.”

The lucky thing about the layoff is it allowed import Steven Thomas a one-week break to attend tryouts for the Korean league in Las Vegas. He left last Saturday and will be back tomorrow.

“Everybody knows Steven is the leader of our team,” said Perasol. “How we do depends on how he plays. Our defense is holding because we don’t need to double the post with Steven around. Whether we play Magnolia or Coca-Cola, I think we’ll be able to match up to our advantage.”

Perasol said Thomas couldn’t pass up the opportunity of trying out for the Korean league where the guaranteed salary is about $35,000 a month.

“Steven’s getting married this year and we know the job will come in handy,” said Perasol. “We’re happy for him to get this chance. The Las Vegas camp is open to players applying for the import draft. If you don’t show up for the tryouts, you won’t get to play in the Korean league which runs for six months. We told Steven we’ll wait for him to come back for the semis.”

Perasol said making it to the semifinals was proof of Air21’s ability to match up against any team in the league. It was also a testament to the maturity of his key players.

“We showed during the eliminations what we can do,” said Perasol. “While we finished No. 1, we’re not going to be complacent. This is something new to us. We’re learning from this experience, hopefully not the hard way. We need to think as winners. We’ve got to take our mental toughness to another level. We know we’ll be up against teams with a rich championship history. It’s all about being mentally and physically prepared. We never look past our next game. We realize focus is very important for a team like ours.”

Perasol said in the playoffs, Air21 must tighten up defensively if the Express hopes to advance.

“Offensively, we’re always No. 1 or No. 2 in the league,” he said. “Our first six to seven players can match up with anybody in terms of firepower. If we just improve our defense and stay in the middle ground, we’ll even be tougher. We’re committed to playing defense so it won’t only be a shootout when we play.”

Perasol said he couldn’t ask more from his locals, namely, Gary David, Arwind Santos, Ranidel de Ocampo, Wynne Arboleda, K. G. Canaleta, Homer Se, Marvin Cruz, Doug Kramer, J. C. Intal, Egay Billiones, Gaby Espinas and Erwin Sotto.

“Gary, as a player, is very competitive and fills the gap in our offense with his ability to slash and break down the defense,” he said. “When Gary was out, he was our missing link. He complements our spot-up shooters and is deadly finishing our fastbreak. He brings a lot of energy on the floor. One player I’m impressed with is Homer. I just let him go out there and show what he can do. I give him the chance to play and he always plays hard. What I like about him is he never quits.”

Before succeeding Ramos, Perasol was an assistant coach for UP (where he earned a broadcast communications degree) in the UAAP, Welcoat in the PBL and Surigao and Laguna in the MBA.

Perasol’s history in the Lina organization began when he was coach Ed Cordero’s assistant with the Laguna Lakers in the MBA. He then took a management position at FedEx and later became the Air21 coach.

“I understood Mr. Lina’s philosophy so that was why I was picked to coach the team,” said Perasol. “After every conference, I tell (Air21 president) Mr. (Lito) Alvarez I’m ready to go if management wants. I don’t know how long I’ll be coaching at this level. I’ve been pushing for Senator (Robert) Jaworski to become our coach. I know there is a standing offer. But for as long as management wants me to stay, I will.”