No excuses for disaster

OKINAWA – San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent yesterday said there’s no excuse for losing to Anyang KGC by 55 points in the EASL Champions Week here last weekend but pointed to factors of fatigue, Jessie Govan’s poor condition, unfamiliarity in playing with and against two imports, weather adjustments and injuries as causes for the disaster.

“No excuses,” said Gallent. “During the game, I stood up the whole time to show the guys I wouldn’t quit coaching. June Mar (Fajardo) went down with a knee injury in our first game and Chris (Ross) twisted his knee so both couldn’t play against Anyang. Marcio (Lassiter) had a bum stomach. We didn’t want to risk playing Terrence (Romeo) so he also sat out. The guys were tired. June Mar and CJ (Perez) just played for Gilas and Jericho (Cruz) played for Guam in Mongolia.”

San Miguel Beer PBA governor Robert Non said it was a case of bad timing. “Scheduling ang issue,” he said. “Sana off-season ng PBA para nakapag-prepare ng maayos.” Gallent said in hindsight, the Beermen could’ve been better off playing with only Cameron Clark. “Govan came in a week before the tournament and had only three practices,” he noted. “In our first practice, Govan quit after 15 minutes and we had an ambulance on standby. No legs. Against Anyang, Govan had two points and (Anyang import Omar) Spellman, 53. That was the difference.” Govan hadn’t played since scoring two points in three minutes in the NBA G-League in March last year.

Gallent said if San Miguel qualifies to play in the coming EASL season, enlisting one import instead of two could be an option. “It’s difficult playing with two imports especially if they get to practice only for a while,” he said. “The other teams play with two imports all season so they’re adjusted. We’re used to playing with only one import. Cam is like (Justin) Brownlee, he plays with a lot of heart, he’s a team guy. If Ginebra qualifies for EASL, they can play with only Brownlee as their import. If you add another import, their chemistry might be affected.”

Fajardo is scheduled for an MRI today. “Pain is gone so that’s good news,” said Gallent. “We’re hoping June Mar will be OK when we play NLEX on March 15. We’re also hoping Terrence and (Robbie) Herndon will be ready. We don’t know about Chris. The swelling in his knee dropped down to his leg so we’re still observing.”