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With a 5v5 practice day finally under his belt, Meralco Bolts head coach Norman Black can breathe a sigh of relief in the face of the resumption of the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup in nearly two weeks. .
The team was informed late in the afternoon on Wednesday that they all tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, paving the way for a light practice session on Thursday afternoon.
“Our focus today was basically, we did a lot of 5-on-5 while trying to run our secondary offense and half court,” Black recalled to ESPN5 in a phone interview.
Meralco, along with Magnolia, were the first pair of teams to practice at the University of Angeles Foundation Gymnasium, having been assigned the 1pm space.
Magnolia practiced on the main court above, while the Bolts used the makeshift court on the lower level of the multi-story building.
“It was nice to see the guys running up and down the court once more. It’s been a long time since we’ve practiced, and we basically only have 10 days of practice before we start the season,” said the veteran mentor.
Rust from the six-month break was not visible in limited practice, but Black said he will learn more about conditioning in Friday’s session.
The entire Meralco lineup presented to the league last March will be in the bubble, including Raymond Almazan. Newly signed free agent Noy Baclao will not be, however, as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
“Doctors recommended that she be given even more time to recover,” Black explained.
Almazan, who is still in Manila, will finish his therapy on Friday and will address Clark immediately after, according to Black.
Despite having only at least 10 days to prepare for the All-Filipino’s restart on October 11, Black does not see the short time as a problem for preparations, as all teams will go through the same problems.
“So I think the most important thing is to have a positive attitude, and to go out and work as hard as you can from now until October 11 to prepare your team,” Black added.
The 62-year-old also praised the PBA protocol instituted at Quest Hotel, his residence until December, because all of the bubble’s residents have been following the rules.
“Everything was very well organized and so far everything has gone well,” said Black.
