Alaska ready for big rebound
“Our performance last season was totally unacceptable, certainly not in keeping with Alaska’s high standards,” he said. “This season will be different. I haven’t been as excited about a coming season in years. We’re bringing back that renewed spirit of Alaska fighting until the last buzzer, that even if we’re down by 20 in the fourth period, we’ll still be out there battling to win.”
Compton, 43, said the 14 straight losses that Alaska suffered bridging the Commissioner’s and Governors Cups last season were tough to swallow. “We all hated it,” he said. “We felt something weird was going on. Of the 14 losses, six went down to the last possession, two ended in overtime and we led by double digits in eight. There were issues we had to address as a family and I think we’ve made big steps in getting us back on track.”
In 10 conferences since taking over the Alaska reins two games into the 2014 Governors Cup, Compton has led the Aces to four Finals. Alaska came close to winning the Philippine Cup title in 2015-16 but the Aces blew a 3-0 lead in the Finals to lose to San Miguel Beer in seven games. Compton said despite the bitter defeat, Alaska came back strong in the next conference and returned to the Finals against Rain Or Shine.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” he said. “The conference after we lost to San Miguel, we survived five knockout games, got to the Finals and won two games after falling behind 0-3 without Jvee (Casio) and Vic (Manuel). That kind of spirit is what we’re excited to bring back this season.”
Author: Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star
Full Article: http://www.philstar.com/sports/2017/11/14/1758758/alaska-ready-big-rebound
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