ANTIPOLO — Jimmy Alapag is now bracing for what could be his first real test as a PBA head coach when NLEX puts its unbeaten record on the line against the mighty San Miguel on July 26 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Road Warriors kept their hold of Group A’s no. 1 spot after extending their hot start to three games following a rout of Titan Ultra Tuesday, but they’re already looking forward to preparing themselves against the long-time powerhouse,
“I think it will be a great test for us, not just for our big guys, but I think for our entire team,” he offered after their 135-100 victory at the Ynares Center here.
“That is a team that has really stamped their legacy in this league with their dominance behind June Mar [Fajardo]. Great challenge for our guys, especially this early in the conference. And we have some time to prepare.”
Before battling the Giant Risers, Alapag’s first two games since taking over the franchise’s coaching reins were versus Macau last Friday and then Terrafirma two nights later, in which they got seriously challenged until the end.
Winning three games in the span of just six days makes NLEX’s start all the more impressive, but no one in the squad is getting carried away as they expect the road to become tougher as the conference progresses.
In 12 days, the Road Warriors will cross paths with the Beermen, a team with which former PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag shares plenty of history, both as a player and a coach.
The 48-year-old served as an assistant coach under Leo Austria during the 2019 season, an appointment that came months after steering San Miguel Alab Pilipinas to the 2018 ABL championship.
Alapag went on to win two PBA titles with San Miguel that same season, capturing the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup crowns to put the franchise in position for a rare Grand Slam bid, though it ultimately fell short.
Six years later, armed with NBA experience after serving as a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings, Alapag now finds himself coaching against his former team, which remains the league’s benchmark, especially in the All-Filipino conference.
He’s looking forward to it not just because of the reunion of sorts, but of the experience it shall bring as they aspire to emulate San Miguel as a squad.
“I’ve seen the talent, I’ve seen the chemistry there,” said the two-time PBA Press Corps Finals MVP. “And we’re still building on that.
“My vision is that hopefully we’ll get there at some point down the road. But a great challenge ahead.”
So, the next two weeks for NLEX would be all about recovering and preparing not only for the Beermen but for the challenging stretch that comes after.
After San Miguel, they’d be taking on Converge and then TNT, a game that shall evoke a ton of nostalgia as he’d be facing the franchise he helped build.
“I think ‘yung next two weeks are gonna be very important for us just to continue to work, continue to build,” said Alapag.
“Kasi siyempre ‘yung games coming up, si San Miguel tapos I think Converge, and then Talk N Text,” he furthered.
“These next two weeks will be very important for us to continue to build off these first three games.”
