Although Tai Bundit hadn’t been with Creamline for just over four months in the wake of his decision to return to Thailand, his two-year stint with the Cool Smashers was more than enough to entrench himself with the team.
And after steering the Cool Smashers to the PVL Reinforced and Open Conference championships last year, it’s safe to say that Bundit is very much familiar of his players.
The same can be said of Jia Morado and the rest of the Cool Smashers. The product of Ateneo disclosed that the team thrives under the Thai mentor’s system, which not only boasts the “happy-happy” and “heartstrong” mantra but also the bond that Bundit holds with his players.
“I think what’s good about our system is how well our coach knows us on and off the court,” the two-time PVL Finals Most Valuable Player shared.
And this was evident on Saturday evening, as Creamline exacted revenge on their first-round tormentors, the Petro Gazz Angels.
Down 22-24 in the fourth set, with momentum on Petro Gazz’s side, Bundit rallied his players and tended to their nerves. Having received calming words from their coach, Alyssa Valdez and the rest of the Cool Smashers staged a comeback to topple the erstwhile-unbeaten Angels.
“He knows what to say and when to say it, and most of all how to calm us down, lalo na kapag kami ang naghahabol like in the fourth set in the last few points,” Morado continued. “Usually kasi some coaches will give instructions, will bombard their players with instructions. But with Coach Tai, it was just a silent time out.
“He was saying, ‘I just need one point, I just need one point.’ And yun since kilala rin namin si Coach Tai, alam na namin ang gagawin namin.
“Kumalma kami, and we went right back to kung paano kami sa noon nag-training, which is relaxed, focused and happy,” she gushed.
The Cool Smashers are also the first team put a blemish on the Angels in the 2019 PVL Reinforced Conference.
“Thankful kami na na-reward naman kami sa okay na system ni Coach Tai.”
