By: Jerod Orcullo
Through three weeks of MPL Philippines Season 15 action, Twisted Minds remains one of only two teams still without a series win after suffering a 2-0 sweep against Smart Omega on Friday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
Despite the team’s rocky start, Twisted Minds head coach Bonn “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza emphasized that there’s no need to hit the panic button just yet, especially with the season still far from its halfway point.
“Hindi pa siguro. So far, wala pa tayo sa halfway, and tomorrow meron pa kaming next match,” said BON CHAN.
“Siguro konting linis na lang dun sa ginagawa naming execution. Ayun na sana eh, pero so far hindi pa naman siguro kailangan. As long as kalmado yung lahat, as long as hindi pa sobrang baba nung moral, marami pang chances.”
Twisted Minds’ current struggles mirror BON CHAN’s experience in Season 14 when his Blacklist International squad took four weeks to secure its first series win.
In hopes of turning their season around, BON CHAN experimented with a different lineup against Smart Omega. He placed Salic “Hadjizy” Imam on Chou in the mid-lane throughout the series while also introducing an Alice and Angela combo in Game 2.
Unfortunately, the adjustments didn’t pay off as Omega outclassed the winless Twisted Minds.
“Ayun, kagaya nung nangyari ngayong week, triny namin mag-iba ng path, ng landas. Sayang kanina, yun na sana eh. Baka sakaling sa Game 3, baka yun na yung unang panalo namin kaso ‘di natin masabi dahil sa disaster nga nangyari nung Game 2,” BON CHAN explained.
“Supposedly, sobrang abot-kamay na nila yung papunta sa reverse sweep. Siguro kung meron lang silang kahit konting extra na discipline o mas magandang decision-making sa clutch moment na yun, mas maganda sana yung kinalabasan.”
With several games still ahead, BON CHAN remained focused on securing a playoff berth as their primary goal.
“Realistically speaking, makapasok muna sa playoffs. Pagdating naman ng playoffs, usually mga team nagbabago yan eh. Yung mga dating nasa baba, maaaring napupunta sa taas. Yung mga dating nagpe-perform, nagiging first-round exit. Yun muna siguro yung goal namin — makapasok sa playoffs,” he said.
