SMART CLARK GIGA CITY — The day before he turns 62, Meralco head coach Norman Black received a great present.
The Bolts gifted him with an 80-72 win over NorthPort, which gives them enough momentum heading into the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
So with that, the Grand Slam-winning bench tactician has decided to treat the rest of his crew on the eve of his birthday.
“I’m going to treat the team today so they don’t eat too much tomorrow before the game,” Black quipped.
“Hopefully we’ll have a little bit of a celebration tonight.”
There really is no better time for Meralco to celebrate than Wednesday, since all of them will buckle down to work right away come the next day.
It will be a busy birthday for Black, since the Bolts will have to prepare for the quarters, which commence this Friday.
As of this writing, the seedings for the next round remain undetermined until the end of Wednesday’s matches.
But whatever happens, and whoever they will face, the multi-decorated mentor is just keen on having his charges as prepared as they can be come Friday.
“Well, if you look at most normal scenarios on who might win, who might lose, and where guys will finish in their spots in the standings, it normally comes down to two teams. And you just start to prepare for those two teams, whoever they are — prepare the tapes first, the clips, for the players to view,” said Black, who’s making his first Philippine Cup playoffs in five years.
“And of course I have to go through everything to make sure I’m prepared for either opponent no matter who it is.”
