In only coach Norman Black’s first year as the head coach of the Meralco Bolts, the MVP-owned team has impressed in the 2015 season of the PBA, even without having enough talent.
The Bolts knocked off then defending Philippine Cup champions Star Hotshots in the quarterfinals, before making the semi-finals of the Commissioner’s Cup and again the playoffs of the Governors’ Cup.
With new additions in the offseason like Jimmy Alapag, the return of Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and draft picks Chris Newsome and Baser Amer, the foreseeable future is something the Bolts can be excited about.
Assistant coach Luigi Trillo says he the team cannot be contented with just reaching the semi-finals and that with the team’s upgrades, they can match up with any team in the league.
“I couldn’t be happier. I think we had arguably he best guard in the draft in Baser and he is special in terms of he can really control the team, and he can learn under Jimmy,” Trillo said.
“Second is we got Chris and he is a game-changer. I remember when we got Calvin Abueva (for Alaska) and he brought energy,” Trillo quipped of Abueva’s selection when he was still the Aces head coach.
“Chris can play multiple positions and you can put him in transition which is good for us. More than that, what I like is their character. They are high-character guys and we are just happy with the two picks we got.”
With the way the Bolts’ offseason is going, Trillo hopes the team continues to make impact and be part of the elite teams conversation.
“We are not satisfied of just playing in the semi-finals. We want to attain more and pound for pound I think we can say we have a team. We don’t need to look outside of what we have in our inner circle,” he said.
“If we put our hearts and minds into it and follow coach Norman and get a good import I think we can match up against other teams, so I am super excited.”
“Every year you have your goals. Semis is nice but you can’t be happy with just the semis.”
