Opening of KCS’ training camp depends on Mindanao leg tipoff

Players and staff of the KCS Computer Specialists-Mandaue City celebrate after winning the Visayas title of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup last month. | contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The reigning Visayas leg champions of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, the KCS Computer Specialists Mandaue City, will not start their training camp unless there is an official announcement about the tipoff date of the Mindanao leg.

The league has yet to announce the start of the Mindanao leg, which was initially scheduled for the first week of June.

VisMin Cup league officials are looking to push back the leg’s tipoff because the potential host cities Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro, Agusan del Sur, and Butuan are under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in their areas.

Other potential hosts like Davao City, Iligan, Cotabato, and Lanao del Sur, are under GCQ.

Alcantara town in southwestern Cebu was under MGCQ when it hosted the Visayas leg last month.

The Specialists’ team owner, Ricky Verdida, said that they will only start training if there is already a definite date for the Mindanao leg’s tipoff.

“Our training camp will start depending on when the Mindanao leg will start,” said Verdida.

Verdida and the team’s head coach Mike Reyes are confident that they will be able to keep the entire roster intact heading to the grand finals.

According to Verdida, during their guesting in the CDN Sports Talk, they already advised their players to remain active and fit so that they can easily adjust when their training camp begins.

Reyes also stressed that they need to prepare for the grand finals properly, considering that most of the Mindanao leg teams have stacked rosters.

“What they have seen in the Visayas leg gave them the chance to beef up their lineups. There are six teams that have a very strong lineup if not all of them,” Reyes stated.

KCS headed by finals MVP Christopher “Ping” Exciminiano and Visayas leg Mythical Five awardee Gryann Mendoza is expected to play for the reigning Visayas leg champions.

“We are intact. We are complete. We have 15 players and hopefully, we will have a development of our 16th player who is Ongteco (JR) if he can play for us,” said Reyes.

Ongteco withdrew from the team’s campaign in the Visayas leg due to the repercussions imposed by the MPBL officials for players who played in the VisMin Cup. Ongteco was replaced by Red Cachuela of the Southwestern University-Phinma Cobras.   /rcg