“I just want my team back.”
That’s the wish of Alaska Aces coach Alex Compton whose squad is currently on a dismal six-game losing skid in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
After going 4-0 to start the conference, the Aces went on to lose one game after another to match their longest skid in 28 years.
The slump turned the Aces from being a twice-to-beat contender to a squad in danger of facing a twice-to-win situation in the quarterfinals.
The Aces have one final game left on their schedule, and a win will propel them to a better playoff standing. However, odds are stacked against them as they need to topple league-leading Star Hotshots who are also determined to lock the twice-to-beat.
Compton is hoping that his players will rise to the challenge.
“We didn’t have the political backing, which means we’re independent. We didn’t have the luxury of picking high in the draft and we normally pick late. We’re a team that couldn’t get big players just like the other teams do,” he said.
“But there are a lot of inspiring stories shared by Filipinos and we have players who have similar inspiring stories. These players were able to defy the odds and that’s what I’m hoping to get on Wednesday.”
The Aces have been decimated by numerous injuries this conference, including that of star player Calvin Abueva. But Compton refused to blame Alaska’s miseries to that and instead cited the team’s lack of effort in defense as the main reason behind the skid.
“We’re currently the worst team defensively in terms of giving up two-point field goal percentage,” added Compton. “We didn’t play the way we should play just like what we did the past two seasons.”