Nash Racela was emotional as he spoke in the post-game press conference of the TNT-Ginebra bout. His TNT Katropa had scored a 120-109, series-clinching victory in Game Four, and are now headed to the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The 45-year-old coach was overwhelmed by what had just happened, as he had just achieved a rare feat for a rookie mentor — he is the first to reach the finals so since Gee Abanilla back in the 2013 Governor’s Cup.
“The whole game, I had this with me — my notes,” shared a choked-up Racela.
“It’s just two things, Number One: ‘Not the numbers that matter, but the Lord’s hand in favor of us.’ I know we’re going into this game facing a Ginebra crowd and lahat nung favor is on them. But it’s the Lord’s favor that matters.
“The other thing that says here, ‘In the Lord’s presence, there’s fullness of joy.’ The whole game, especially when Ginebra was making a run in the third quarter, it’s all that I was thinking. I know that it’s always the Lord who has control over everything. He’s sovereign.”
The former Far Eastern University Tamaraws head coach was giving all the credit to the Man above, for guiding him and the whole Katropa to where they are right now. And that alone gave him confidence that they are treading the right track.
“Kaya dun sa game, alam ko, as long as we do the right things, we commit to things that we really need to do, good things will happen. And in the end, we survived Ginebra,” proudly shared the 19-year tactician.
“I feel today, just us keeping our focus and our composure, that really helped us a lot today.”
Racela then headed outside of the Cuneta Astrodome’s press room, now with his sights set on their next daunting challenge, in the form of the mighty San Miguel Beermen.
But for now, Racela breathed a sigh of relief, as his team can rest their banged-up bodies first before going into yet another war that will start on Wednesday, June 21, at the Big Dome.
“Pahinga muna kami bukas,” said the first-year mentor.
And on Father’s day, he can finally get some rest.
