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SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – Although no longer on the team, Sonny Thoss continues to prove to be a valuable asset to Alaska.
According to Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso, the veteran big man would occasionally give his opinion to the coaching staff, especially on the performance of the Aces big men in the PBA Philippine Cup bubble.
Cariaso said he appreciates the effort his former player and teammate is putting in, even if he is no longer officially part of the team.
“He is not here physically, but Sonny is still in contact with us. So the good thing is that he always gives me his opinion, gives feedback to coach Danny. [Ildefonso], and he still talks to a lot of the guys, ”Cariaso said Friday after the Aces formally booked a spot in the quarterfinals with their 102-94 win over NorthPort.
“And that always helped.”
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Against the Batang Pier, the Aces ‘Abu Tratter and Rodney Brondial imposed their power in the middle to help thwart Gilas Pilipinas’ stalwart Christian Standhardinger’s 39 points.
Tratter finished with 16 points, while Brondial also had the same scoring outing and grabbed 10 rebounds.
And sure, Thoss, 38, monitored the big plays made by both Tratter and Brondial.
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“All the time, you never lose a game,” Cariaso said. “We appreciate the support.”
“He’ll talk to me, he’ll talk to coach Danny, and he’ll talk to the other guys he’s in contact with,” Cariaso added about the contributions Thoss would normally give to the team, especially the Aces greats.
