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FIRST, it was San Miguel Beer head coach Leo Austria who said that playing in Clark’s bubble will be a whole new world for him and the Beermen.
Now, it’s Tim Cone who says he and the Barangay Geneva San Miguel Gin Kings will make some adjustments: The team’s plethora of fans, feared by all the opponents they face, are excluded from the bubble.
“It will certainly be different for our guys to play without our Geneva fans,” Cone told BusinessMirror on Monday night. “But I’m sure that after one or two games, they will adapt.”
Clark’s 49-day bubble from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) began operating last Monday and will reach its climax with the restart of the Philippines Cup on October 11 at the University of California Foundation Gymnasium. Angels
Only PBA staff and officers, crew members, and television staff and crew can enter the bubble. Even the families of the players cannot see the games.
“We are like Filipino workers abroad here, working away from home and our families,” Austria told BusinessMiror earlier this week from his room at the Quest Hotel, where and everyone else in the bubble completed a mandatory quarantine of two days.
“But all the players are professionals,” Austria added, noting that his players, like him, are adapting to the new environment and situation.
Cone said that even without fans cheering them on, and taunting their opponents, the Gin Kings know they will support the team on television from the comfort and safety of their homes.
“We know the nation of Geneva will be watching the games and that will motivate us,” Cone said.
In addition to being professionals, Cone said that basketball is second nature to everyone on the team, as his actions and abilities work through muscle memory.
“As for me, I trained for 26 years without the Geneva crowd [with Alaska and Purefoods]So I hope I can help our guys with that experience, ”he said.
“But in the end, our culture and habit of playing and even practicing, hard all the time, will manifest itself in games with or without a crowd,” he added. “We owe it to our fans.”
Cone said he hopes LA Tenorio (Wednesday) and Japeth Aguilar (Friday) will join Gin Kings on the bubble.
“Los Angeles and Japeth will be joining us soon, and we will integrate them quickly,” Cone said. “But we take pride in having other guys step up and fill out roles.”
Tenorio’s wife recently gave birth to their first daughter after three boys, while Aguilar is said to be suffering from a recurring injury.
