They may have faced contrasting results in their bout Wednesday night, but head coaches Alex Compton and Norman Black felt like winners with what they saw in terms of the way the Alaska Aces-Meralco Bolts match was played.
Both mentors are lauding the way the referees are allowing games to be more physical, something that they have been longing for as physicality was controlled under former commissioner Chito Narvasa’s term.
“The games are being called a little differently now, they’re allowing a little bit more contact or a lot more contact on the court,” opined Black.
“I love it. I’m an old school guy so you can imagine. No harm no foul.”
“The physicality’s good. It’s good for the game. It’s real men going at it. That was a tough, hard-fought game [against Meralco],” Compton said, on the other hand.
“I like the direction the league is going in with officiating.”
The clash, which went in favor of the Aces 103-98 and served as their breakthrough win, was indeed a highly-physical affair that it became the season’s most whistled game so far as the referees called a total of 57 fouls.
And as fouls were whistled, free throws then came. It was a facet where the Orangemen simply dominated, as they shot 28-of-29 from the stripe — far from the Milkmen’s 20-of-22. But Compton doesn’t have any qualms about it.
“We lost the free throw battle, but that’s not because we got favored or something like that,” he said.
This kind of physical play in the league is now expected to be present in the coming games. And that is something that Black, who has been coaching in the league ever since 1985, has to prepare his players for.
“I think Alaska has already adjusted to the new way they’re calling the game.
“It appears a new way they’re calling the game. We have to make adjustments in practice so we can be a little bit more physical,” said Black.
