When the Star Hotshots’ season had come to an end Thursday night after being swept by the Meralco Bolts in the semis, coach Chito Victolero did not bow his head in disbelief. For him, there was still that sense of accomplishment.
“I’m very proud of my players. They fought hard, even without Paul (Lee). We know na we’re the underdogs but yung game namin, talagang binigay na nila lahat,” said Victolero after their 88-91 loss at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“I’m very happy, I’m very proud.”
That sense of accomplishment doesn’t just come from the way his wards played in Game Three. For Victolero, he is also proud of what Star had done this season: making it in each conference’s semis despite being on a rebuilding stage.
“I’m also very thankful to them for the whole season. Sabi nga nila Grand Slam kami sa semis eh,” he quipped. “But considering na it’s a new system, madaming new players, new coach, we achieved something this year.
“I’m very happy although yun nga, hindi kami naka over the hump dun sa semis.”
It was still one good journey for the rebuilding franchise under the youthful Victolero as he steered the franchise into the semifinals of all three conferences.
When asked if there is still something that has to be worked on, the first-year head coach singled out chemistry as his point of emphasis.
“During my first season, yun talaga ang tinutukan ko. Siguro kailangan pa namin ng konti pa,” said the former Mahindra coach. “There’s a lot of new players and I initiated a new system. I think yun, chemistry lang and teamwork.
“May talent na eh, yung love and trust namin sa isa’t-isa, we [still] need to improve that.”
The Hotshots now have ample time to recover and recalibrate for the next season, which will start this coming December. And for Victolero, he is thankful for the experiences this year had brought him and his team.
“Everything na na-gain namin, dadalhin namin yan next season. We will prepare hard for the next season. Lahat ng nakuha namin ngayon na magaganda, dadalhin namin yan next year,” shared the defensive-oriented tactican.
“The character na na-build namin ngayon, I think that’s very important for our journey next season.”
