It wasn’t the victorious comeback that he may have wanted but Cebuano wingman Patrick Jan Cabahug certainly made his presence known in his very first game for the Cebu City Sharks in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup on Tuesday night.
The Sharks suffered their second straight loss of this tournament, getting beaten by the Paranaque Patriots, 73-81.
It was a crushing loss for the team backed by Casino Ethyl Alcohol-backed as it led by as many as 15, 32-17, in the first half before melting in the face of the pressure exerted by the hometown Patriots.
Cabahug, though, was on fire all-game long as he gallantly kept the Sharks within striking distance with timely perimeter makes. The former University of the Visayas and Adamson product finished with a game-high 29 points.
Afterwards, he narrated how he couldn’t sleep the night before his first game in the MPBL.
“There are no words to describe the feeling of coming home to a packed stadium with people cheering your every move. I could hardly sleep the night before because I was overwhelmed by the buzz of excitement. I was just very happy to be home,” said Cabahug who had played nearly a decade in various leagues around the Asean region before coming home to play for his hometown Sharks.
Cabahug also pointed to the need to develop better chemistry amongst teammates if they are to break this losing spell.
“It’s very clear that our opponents had the upper hand because of their experience playing together as a complete team since earlier in the year. But I feel this gave us the chance to pinpoint what needs to be worked on – our chemistry as a team. Once we learn and put into play our strengths as a unit, I feel we can play calmer and more composed games which would help us achieve our goals,” added Cabahug.
The Sharks have yet to figure out who their head coach would be as sources have said the team has already relieved Gilbert Castillo of his post, and is set to tap veteran mentor Titing Manalili as the new head coach.
But Manalili, who functioned as head coach against the Patriots, still has to clear things up with the University of San Jose-Recoletos, the Cesafi school that he was slated to coach at but has apparently resigned from.