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COACHES come and go and the PBA is no exception because patience seems to be a rarity in the basketball world today.
Not at Meralco though, as Norman Black has enjoyed the trust of management for the past few years.
Black is one of the two longest-serving coaches in the league under one umbrella, with Leo Austria of San Miguel being the other, having been with the team since 2014 following his transfer from TNT.
Black is restoring that confidence in recent years by focusing on how to make the Bolts better each year.
“I’m so focused on Meralco and the company and trying to reward them for all their patience and for staying with us and supporting us,” Black said shortly after the Bolts’ quarter-final series victory over the dethroned five-time defending champion. San Miguel.
That management patience is paying off when Meralco finally secured a spot in the Philippine Cup semifinals for the first time in the franchise’s 20-year history.
Black, however, said management decisions on acquiring players have also been key to Meralco’s success in the bubble.
Last year, Meralco acquired Raymond Almazan in a Rain or Shine trade, finally giving the Bolts a legitimate big man they’ve been losing ever since.
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“Management has done a very good job last year raising the level of talent,” said Black. “The entrance of Raymond Almazan makes a big difference because we always lack the great in the painting. He’s been coming off a knee injury, but at the same time, he’s improving as the games go on.
The trade that sent Allein Maliksi from Meralco to Blackwater may not have made as much noise as Almazan’s, but the move gave the Bolts another scoring source.
The Bolts’ decision to also pick Aaron Black in the second round, 18th in the 2019 PBA draft, proved to be a gem as he finished second in the bubble rookie stat points standings behind Roosevelt Adams. of Terrafirma.
“Allein Maliksi gives us a scorer, so you add those guys (Almazan) along with Aaron, who has played very, very well this conference, suddenly we have a stronger team, a kind of team that could really compete and equip them. your starting five, ”Black said.
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The moves have led Meralco to set a date with Barangay Geneva in the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup. The Kings have been a perennial nemesis of the Bolts in the Governor’s Cup final, but even head coach Tim Cone acknowledged that they will have an even tougher time extending their supremacy against their rival.
“I think management has done a good job raising talent in the lineup and it shows,” Black said.
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