SIBOL men’s ML:BB head coach Francis “Duckey” Glindro lauded ECHO for their professionalism during the course of the national team pool’s three-day combine held at the High Grounds Cafe in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
ECHO, who just recently won the M4 World Championship in Indonesia, was part of the four-team, 20-player pool of the national team along with MPL teams Bren Esports and ONIC PH, and MDL squad GameLab.
“You know, I think their professionalism is not to be questioned kasi kahit na wala na silang kailangan patunayan they still showed up. I will just say na what matters in any expectations of your life is those guys that show up,” Duckey told Tiebreaker Times on Saturday.
“I’m really thankful for the ECHO boys. Sobrang salamat lalo na kay coach Archie [Tictac],” he added.
Duckey also said that the ECHO group, composed of Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera, Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales, Alston “Sanji” Pabico, Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, and head coach Archie “Tictac” Reyes, has been really helpful throughout the combine.
The MPL PH champion coach also said that having the reigning world champion, who committed to the selection process without any questions, elevated the playing atmosphere in the combine which, according to him, will prove beneficial for the national team’s cause moving forward.
“You know I’m really happy that these guys [ECHO] are around. I think their presence here really elevates the playing atmosphere. Having them here presents an opportunity for all those players na nandito to really challenge themselves against the best of the best,” said Duckey.
“I’m really thankful to these ECHO guys. They’re really approachable, they’re really friendly, hindi sila yung mayabang na ‘kami yung champion e.’ So they’re not like that. They’re really helpful because they talk, they share ideas, so yeah I’m lucky that they are here,” he added.
Duckey also assured fans that there are no shoo-ins in the finals six and that all players will have equal opportunities in making the team. The world champion coach said that SIBOL came up with a scoring method that will help him determine the final lineup.
“There’s actually a score card so that we can definitely measure the metrics kasi mahirap yung wala kang yardstick for performance e. Numbers really play a big role in the selection process as well as eyeballing their performances.”
