For Danny Seigle, playing in the wildcard qualifiers was just what San Miguel Beer needed to break out of its slump in the PBA Philippine Cup and beating Air21 in a knockout game at the Big Dome tonight would be the perfect confidence booster to prepare for Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals.
“Feeling the sense of urgency was the best thing for us,” said Seigle before practice yesterday morning. “Plus, we needed more games to get our confidence back. Confidence is the easiest to lose and the hardest to gain. But in basketball, confidence is everything.”
San Miguel opened the conference on a blistering 7-2 spurt then ended the double-round eliminations on a 2-7 slide.
“We were slowed by injuries then we started losing and got a little complacent,” said Seigle. “We know Ginebra’s tough but we’re not looking past Air21. We’re taking it game by game. (Cyrus) Baguio’s a great open court player and that’s why Air21 isn’t making too many adjustments with him in the lineup. They like to run and they’re dangerous in the open court. For us to win, we’ve got to control the tempo, limit our turnovers and execute.”
Siegle, 32, sat out 14 games in the eliminations but is now back in harness. He shot 16 points in San Miguel’s 99-89 win over Coca-Cola to survive its first wildcard do-or-die game last Sunday.
“I think I’m less than 80 percent right now but I don’t feel any pain,” said Seigle. “When I’m on the court, the adrenalin kicks in and I’m ready to go. I was down with a herniated disc. My disc was swollen and the pinched nerve in my back made my right leg numb for a month. I started practice three weeks ago. I took an epidural steroid shot to kill the pain and I’m fine now. I still don’t have my legs and explosiveness but slowly, I’m getting there. I felt good against Coca-Cola and hopefully, things will get better and better.”
Seigle said he’s learned to adjust to his new role in coach Siot Tanquingcen’s system.
“My role has changed,” he said. “I used to take 20 to 25 shots a game. Now, I’m down to about 12. I’m basically relieving Jay-Wash (Washington). More than offense, I’m trying to concentrate on rebounding and defense. I’m just out there looking for ways to contribute. Gone are the days when we used to rely on one or two guys. We’ve got a lot of talent on our team now with Jay-Wash being so versatile, Mick (Pennisi) able to spread the floor and BonBon (Custodio) slashing. Coach Siot is a great motivator and we’re seeing a lot more chemistry in the way we’re playing.”
Seigle said Olsen Racela’s leadership is key to San Miguel’s return to championship form.
“We need Olsen to start and finish games,” he said. “He can still make the big plays. He knows how to get everyone involved. Jonas (Villanueva) injured his shoulder and isn’t sure of playing. Froilan (Baguion) is still learning the ropes. So Olsen has to play big for us. We might try BonBon at point guard but that’ll limit what he does. It’s also important for Dondon (Hontiveros) and Lordy (Tugade) to get back their confidence as shooters. They’ll need to be more aggressive going to the rim and getting to the line. Lordy’s a little bothered about putting the ball on the floor because of all those travelling calls. He’s also been playing hurt. But this is the playoffs. We’ve all got to stick together and play hard.”
Seigle said against Air21, he’ll probably be matched up against Arwind Santos.
“I’ll basically play the four spot and maybe, a little three,” said Seigle. “We really aren’t looking for mismatches. It’s more like we need to feed off of our system. We’re a different team now. We can run and do so many things. We’ve got a lot of depth on our team.”
Seigle said he’s signed up to next year. “I love this game and I’m lucky to be playing,” he went on. “I’ll continue playing as long as I can. As I get older, I’m faced with more challenges and I love challenges. San Miguel hasn’t won a title in a while so I’d like to see our team get back to its winning ways.”
As for playing on the national team, Seigle said he’s just a call away.
“If a spot opens up for me, I’ll be ready to play,” he said. “I’d love another shot at playing for the national team because it wasn’t so good the last time. If I’m called up to play, I’ll play. It’s always an honor to play for your country.”
Seigle was Rookie of the Year in 1999 and is a two-time conference best player awardee. He has played on six San Miguel title squads, the last in 2004-05. Seigle averaged 15.4 points in 38 games last season.