By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
After Blacklist International secured their first-ever regular-season win in MPL Philippines Season 14 against TNC Pro Team, head coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza credited the team’s newfound identity as the key factor behind their victory.
With Michael “MP the King” Endino, Kiel “OHEB” Soriano, Salic “Hadji” Imam, John “Perkz” Sumawan, and Jhon “Lord JM” Sebastian in the lineup against TNC, BON CHAN expressed confidence in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, stating that he plans to stick with this lineup for the remainder of the season.
“Although na-discover ko na yung identity ng team, pero syempre hindi ko naman pwedeng sabihin sa public, I can [confidently] safe to say na mag-stick na ako sa unang lineup na nakakuha ng panalo,” he said.
Despite finally finding their synergy, the 35-year-old coach chose not to rest on his laurels. He acknowledged that there are still numerous areas needing improvement as the second half of the regular season approaches. This phase is crucial as it will determine which teams advance to the playoffs.
“So kung ano man yung na-discover kong identity ng team, siguro mas mag-focus na kami ‘don. We will not settle for less although na panalo kami, madami pa rin talagang mga mistakes, errors, maliliit na detalye na kailangan pa din talaga naming linisin. So kung gusto naming makasabay sa ibang team na nasa taas, kailangan naming ma-eliminate yung mga maliliit na mistakes na ‘yon,” BON CHAN said.
He emphasized that the team will continue to strive for improvement, acknowledging that despite their victory, they remain at the bottom of the standings with a 1-6 record.
“Masaya syempre kase nakuha na namin yung panalo. Pero hindi pa din mag-sesettle dahil nanalo na, pwede na naming ibaba yung guard namin. Hindi pwede kase masyado pang malayo yung hahabulin namin eh,” he said.
“Patuloy pa rin sa hard work.”
