source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

Newly appointed Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio declined yesterday to predict how soon he can deliver a championship to the power franchise in the PBA but vowed to at least turn the Bolts into a never-say-die team immediately.

“We’re starting from scratch,” said Gregorio. “We’re building a new team that will embrace the competitive spirit of a title contender. It may take time for us to win a championship but you can be sure we’ll be out there fighting.”

Gregorio said a big first step in the building process was the acquisition of MacMac Cardona from Talk ‘N’ Text. Cardona was in Australia visiting former La Salle teammate P. J. Walsham when the trade was consummated last weekend. He returns to Manila today and will attend the launch of the electric company’s sports advocacy program at the Meralco theater tomorrow.

Cardona was given an extension up to 2013 on his Texters’ contract which was due to expire next year.

Meralco team manager Virgil Villavicencio and Gregorio spoke with Cardona on overseas telephone to break the news of the deal.

“Macmac’s excited,” said Gregorio. “I told him he was the only choice to be our go-to guy. We want him to be our scorer. We want the ball in his hands. When I coached Purefoods, it was a similar role that James (Yap) and Kerby (Raymundo) played. In the teams I’ve coached, roles were clearly defined for every player. It will be the same with Meralco.”

Gregorio said 6-9 center Marlou Aquino has inked a one-conference contract and will play a vital role in protecting the middle with burly Beau Belga.

“Marlou has the ability to change shots,” said Gregorio who bagged three titles for Purefoods. “We hope he can be a leader for us. He was Sta. Lucia’s captain last year. What Marlou lacks in quickness, Beau makes up. At the four spot, we’ll need somebody to back up Gabby Espinas. We’re deep at two-guard with MacMac, Ogie Menor and possibly, Bonbon Custodio. At the three-spot, we’ve got Yousif Aljamal and Bitoy Omolon. At point guard, we’ve got a tough defender Chris Ross and shooter Pong Escobal.”

On the bubble are Dennis Daa, Jason Misolas and Chris Pacana. Expected to be released are Nic Belasco, Donbel Belano, Chito Jaime, Kelvin Gregorio and Mark Benitez.

“At first, we thought the coming draft will be shallow but after watching the players in the rookie camp, we’ve changed our mind,” said Gregorio. “We’ve got three picks in the second round and we’re optimistic we can land a power forward and a point guard to round up our roster. We begin practice on Aug. 31. We won’t call open tryouts – we know who’s out there. Our idea is to be three-deep at every position. We want to build character with discipline and develop team chemistry.”

The Meralco basketball gym is now under renovation and will be ready by Sept. 15 to be used as the Bolts’ practice facility.

“I have a lot of respect for all the PBA teams especially Purefoods which I’ve been a part of since 2001,” said Gregorio. “But when the game begins, I have no friends except the guys on our team. That’s the way it is. We’re friends off the court. On the court, there’s a job to be done.”

Gregorio, who carries the rank of assistant vice president in Meralco, was introduced to a cheering crowd of over 600 employees and their families in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, last Saturday and attended the 7:30 a.m. flag ceremony with management and staff at the corporate head office grounds last Monday. The atmosphere was appropriately electric.

“Meralco is reviving its championship tradition,” said Meralco PBA governor and senior vice president Ramon Segismundo. “We have a legacy to uphold. Our management and staff are looking forward to the new season. My focus in the PBA Board is corporate social responsibility. Our involvement in the PBA goes beyond basketball. Our team is the enabling vehicle in our sports advocacy program.

In tomorrow’s launch, Meralco will announce its PBA beneficiary – Caritas – and identify the first two recipients of athletic scholarships. The recipients are junior varsity athletes in the 16-18 age bracket. Fr. Anton Pascual, Caritas executive director and president of Radio Veritas, reportedly described the Meralco partnership as “a mutually beneficial sports advocacy and social marketing initiative.”

Villavicencio, the former La Salle coach who moved to Meralco after serving three years as Talk ‘N’ Text team manager, said he’s excited to take on the challenge of building a contender from ground zero.

“My focus is to take care of the needs of the team from the coaches down to the utility guys,” said Villavicencio. “I’ll make sure the lines of communication are always open to everyone.”

Segismundo welcomed Villavicencio’s arrival, saying he provides the team with the maturity of an experienced and knowledgeable basketball team manager. He also said the squad will be called the Bolts, the winning moniker in a company-wide contest where other entries included the Voltz, Megawatts and Power Masters.

Segismindo pointed out that the funding for the Bolts will come from the pockets of shareholders and will not in any way be taken from rate charges paid by consumers.

by Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

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