The AMA Online Education Titans have safely advanced to the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup playoffs, but their position heading into the next round is still clouded with uncertainty.
The Titans had a good look at securing a better spot during the early part of the conference, but losses against Wangs Basketball and Café France-CEU in their final two games of the elimination round tainted their chances.
AMA finished the first phase with a decent 5-4 slate, and their most likely spot in the quarterfinals will either be fifth or six — spots that are on the twice-to-beat disadvantage against teams that will rank third and fourth.
With the way games have turned out as of late, AMA still have a chance of evading those places. But their fate does not lie in their hands anymore, as they have to hope for a JRU win over Tanduay by seven points or more.
Despite all of the what-ifs surrounding the team, Aspirants’ Cup Most Valuable Player candidate Jeron Teng remains positive, and both he and AMA perceive these as mere challenges that will only aid their growth.
“Siyempre it will be more challenging for us, but we’re just staying positive.
“We’re used to being the underdogs, and it’s a challenge for us to step up our game,” declared Teng, who averages a league-leading 25.3 points along with 8.5 rebounds in the eight games he has played for the school-based squad.
The conference playoffs are about to start in less than two weeks, and AMA, according to Teng, will use that leeway to iron out their flaws and come out a better team to make a serious run into the next round.
“We’re still positive dahil we still have rooms for improvement for the quarters, and we got time to work on what we have to work on,” Teng concluded.
