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Bolts eye the next step next tournament
(The Philippine Star) – November 30, 2020 – 12:00 am
SMART CLARK GIGA CITY, Philippines – After his great semi-final run in the bubble, Meralco Bolts coach Norman Black looks to empower the team as he pushes harder in the upcoming battle for the PBA crown jewel.
“Experience is the best teacher and you can’t run until you walk, so I would say we walked in this conference. Hopefully we can run a little bit faster in the next conference and improve the team so we can take the next step, ”said Black.
With what Black described as his “best all-Filipino team” since taking over from Meralco, the Bolts ended a long playoff drought and even came tantalizingly close to reaching the Last Dance.
They defeated the five-mob champion and San Miguel twice in the quarterfinals en route to their first semifinal appearance in five years. They then fought fiercely against the Gin Kings in the semifinals, but gave up the rubber match on Scottie Thompson’s 3-pointer, 80-83.
“We’ve never experienced this in the last five years, so getting this far (semi-finals), getting this close to the final, is a good experience and also something that the team can build on for the future,” Black said.
“You just have to add a few more pieces to make us stronger in depth,” he added.
He hopes to use big man Noy Baclao, his midseason acquisition who was injured when they went to the bubble, and sign a draft-quality rookie.
“The only person we missed on this trip was Noy Baclao. If we had known that there would be changes to the rules (on personnel entering the bubble late), we could have included them in the list, “said Black.
“It has been good for about a month, but we couldn’t bring it any more. It would have helped a lot to be able to score Japeth (Aguilar) and (Prince) Caperal and he’s a very smart player on defense. So I look forward to their incorporation, ”he added.
Black will also turn to the pool of rookie hopefuls for reinforcement.
“It looks like the pool is going to be deep this year. Hopefully we have a very good player, ”said the veteran strategist, whose team, however, may finish ninth due to their quarter-final finish in the bubble.
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