A ringing endorsement

The struggle is real for Star
(Photo credit: PBA.Inquirer.net)

When Jason Webb took over the Star Hotshots’ bench in the preseason, we had a feeling that things might get rough at first. Still, we believed that everything will be just fine since he is taking over an already-made group of champions (grand slam ones, at that) and did not really need to make a world of adjustments.

A conference and two games into the second of the PBA season we are just as worried as the next Star fan.



The team is not responding to Webb’s coaching style. He has been preaching about running and gunning, accountability and something akin’ to the current NBA champions’ Golden State Warriors’ style but they have been failing miserably thus far. He has four proven veterans on the court in 2x PBA MVP James Yap (22mpg 5ppg 5rpg), PJ Simon (28mpg 9ppg 1rpg 2apg), Marc Pingris (28mpg 5ppg 4rpg 2apg) and Rafi Reavis (13mpg 4ppg 5rpg 2apg) but in most games they have appeared to be simply going through the motions.

Should Webb just go “all in” with his young thoroughbreds?

Mark Barroca (35mpg 9ppg 9prpg 7apg), Allein Maliksi (27mpg 12ppg 3rpg 1apg) and Justin Melton (24mpg 5ppg 4rpg 1apg) have answered the call somehow, but big man Ian Sangalang (11mpg 3ppg 1rpg 1apg) appears to still be bothered by his injury while we still wait for the return of Alex Mallari who was having a rather solid Philippine Cup. Then there’s that spitfire guard who we all know can light it up just as quick, stuck on the bench—Mark Cruz. Wag na natin pansinin si Norbet, nawili masyado magtititira sa labas.

So yeah, maybe the Hotshots should let the kids play. Since Webb insists on this “free,” up tempo style anyway.

But again, why is there such disconnect on the court that not even Denzel Bowles (41mpg 30ppg 17rpg 1apg) could will them to at least a victory in two games this conference?

Some guys keep looking for Coach Tim. His offense. His defense. His philosophies.

Some guys are torn between trying to please their veterans and just playing their game.

Some guys just don’t seem to care at all.

Was there really a need for Coach Webb to throw away the Cone playbook? Couldn’t he have at least kept some game notes from that season spent with the now Ginebra taskmaster?

We understand that he wants to be his own man, and that he has envisioned a different style for his team, but really—this is a champion team that didn’t really need a major shake-up in terms of philosophy. Specially not one from a rookie coach with NO prior experience.

He could have eased up a bit on the Triangle, run what was working, and just tinkered a bit and slowly incorporating his style. They lost Cone and Joe DeVance, sure, but this is basically the same team that won so much the last three or four years.

Parang may champion swimmer ka na specialty breast stroke, ilang taong ginto, tapos bigla mong sinabi na back stroke na lang tayo from here on out.

Hindi man lang nag freestyle muna, mix ng breast at kung ano anong istilo. 

Honestly, the only way this can work is if one of the leaders step up and say:

"this is Coach Jason Webb's team. I'm with him 100%"

Pingris fits that part to a T, he's the vocal one. Unfortunately, his heart is with Coach Tim.