Governor’s Cup: A little wake-up call was what Mandaue cagers needed, says coach

Cebu City, Philippines – Mandaue City head coach Gary Cortes said that he and the rest of the team took the time last week to clear the air, which obviously paid dividends after they crushed Cordova, 104-75, in the 2019 Governor’s Cup basketball tournament on Friday night, March 22, 2019, at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.

Cortes, the three-time champion head coach of the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, shared that the team’s sluggish start in this competition was undoubtedly frustrating, considering the amount of talent they have. 

But he stressed that they have made adjustments to right the ship.

Mandaue City lost to Consolacion, 85-86, in their opening game and then got shocked by Cordova, 88-89, this past week, to start the tournament with an 0-2 (win-loss) slate before breaking through for a win on Friday.

“The first two games were frustrating but not disappointing,” said Cortes. “Kay kami ra ang nagpapildi sa amoa kaugalingon.” (Because we were the ones who beat ourselves.)

So after those losses, Cortes gathered the team and made sure they were all on the same page.

“We had an open forum the day after our last game against Cordova, so we let the players understand their roles in the team,” Cortes said.

Cortes also said that his players’ youth and exuberance sometimes get the better of them, but that the conversations he had with the players has had a positive effect on the team’s play.

“It’s a good thing they understood and they applied it in the game [against Cordova],” Cortes added. /bmjo