source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

Alaska coach Tim Cone said yesterday he’s confident the Aces will be competitive because the team is system and familiarity-based even as the opposition has become stronger with reinforced lineups in the PBA’s 35th season starting tomorrow.

Not a single player was struck out from the Alaska roster last campaign. In addition, Cone brought in rookies Mike Burtscher and Sean Co from the draft. The Aces will open the All-Filipino conference with Kelvin de la Peña (recovering from three slipped discs), Brandon Cablay (to be reactivated in a few weeks), Ariel Capus and Co in the reserve list.

Back in the fold are Willie Miller, Sonny Thoss, Joe DeVance, L. A. Tenorio, Tony de la Cruz, Larry Fonacier, Reynel Hugnatan, John Ferriols, Mark Borboran, Jeffrey Cariaso and Erwin Sotto.

The Aces were at the Alaska office in Makati where they engaged fans from all over the world in a live cyberspace chat on yahoo messenger for an hour yesterday. There were 13 laptops
, 10 of which had webcams, that the players shared. The only Ace absent was Ferriols whose wife just delivered their first baby. Each player took in an average of 40 messages.

It was the first live “conference” chat arranged by Alaska. Cone said Alaska’s website is the most active in the PBA and generates over 5,000 posts a month. Cone admitted there were inquiries about Miller, Thoss, DeVance and Tenorio from other teams in the offseason but none was entertained. Miller reportedly asked to be traded after Alaska fell to ninth place in the Fiesta Conference. The trade talk was later denied.

“Kobe Bryant asked to be traded by Los Angeles two years ago, stayed and look where the Lakers are now,” said Cone. “Getting Willie back happy with us was a priority. He’s our main man. That hasn’t changed. In 10 preseason games, he’s averaged over 20 points in less than 30 minutes. We won seven of those games, losing only to Talk ‘N’ Text, San Miguel by two and Burger King in overtime. We led by at least 10 in the fourth quarter in those three losses. Against Burger King, we were down by 24 in the third period but came back to force overtime. One of our wins was over Smart-Gilas, 74-67, where C. J. Giles shot 16 and Japeth Aguilar 11.”

The other day, Alaska trailed by 14 when its exhibition game against Barako Bull was halted due to power failure at the Reyes Gym.

“The favorites are the big budget teams like Talk ‘N’ Text, San Miguel, Purefoods and Ginebra,” said Cone. “But that doesn’t preclude other teams like Rain Or Shine, Burger King and Sta. Lucia from sneaking in. Take Barako, for instance – that’s a team with nothing to lose and they work really hard because the players have something to prove.”

As for Smart-Gilas’ participation as a guest entry, Cone said he likes Alaska’s chances against the national team.

“Coach (Rajko) Toroman likes to control tempo and we match up well against his team because we’re pretty good in our half-court execution,” said Cone. “It remains to be seen if Smart-Gilas’ participation will be good for the league and good for the team. They’re tough with Giles who’s an exceptional import and an incredible athlete. We don’t mind if Smart-Gilas goes 9-1 in the 10 games against PBA teams as long as the only loss is to us.”

Cone, in his 20th year at the Alaska helm, said the team’s chemistry is at an all-time high with the familiarity factor a major advantage.

“We’re virtually intact,” he continued. “We talk a lot about being a family which is why we don’t really want to make too many roster changes. Our situation now is similar to our ‘90s group that delivered a Grand Slam in 1996. We want to develop leaders in our team because we want the players to lead themselves. It’s just like what Phil Jackson said, ‘the team itself leads the team.’ Our morale is high but so are expectations. What’s good about our situation is the guys know what to do on the court, how to execute the triangle, where to find their spots and our defensive rules. Our roles are more or less the same as last season so we go out on the floor playing free and easy. We were a free throw away from the All-Filipino title last season but we failed miserably for a lot of reasons in the Fiesta Conference. But we’re excited to fight back.”

Cone said he expects the 6-5 Swiss-born Burtscher, the fifth overall draft pick this year, to play major minutes in the second unit. “He’s still learning
our system but he’s got 13 coaches - our players - teaching him, not counting our coaching staff,” said Cone. “Mike reminds me of a Rudy Hatfield with his motor running all the time. He’ll play three or four, spelling Joe or Mark. I think he’s got a better range from 16 feet than Rudy. In his first few minutes against Smart-Gilas, Mike was on the floor about four or six times. That’s how hard he plays.”

Cone said Fonacier and Borboran will play key roles for Alaska this season. Cariaso will also be given a crucial responsibility.

“Jeff is our stabilizer,” said Cone. “His role will be a little reduced as we begin to emphasize Larry. But Jeff will spearhead the second unit, playing with younger guys. There’s a high level of respect for Jeff with our team. He’s critical to us both on and off the court.”

As for Thoss, Cone said his experience with the national team will be a big boost. “Sonny’s a lot more confident now,” said Cone. “With coach Yeng (Guiao), he got a chance to play outside, take some perimeter shots, because the system was to bring out the big men to get the guards to penetrate. With us, Sonny will play conventionally. We want him inside and stay close to the basket.”


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