The Phoenix Super LPG kids are alright.
There was no hint of frustration in Jamike Jarin’s eyes when he faced reporters after the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters ran out of gas against the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals opener.
While he was a bit disappointed, Jarin said he was proud of his inexperienced wards for putting up quite a fight against the best team in the ongoing conference, 82-79, on Wednesday.
“You can’t be satisfied after a loss. You’re not mad you’re just a little bit disappointed because you had the opportunity to get the win,” he said after the match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“But I’m still proud of everybody. Being the youngest team, we’re not supposed to be here but we’re able to play tough with the number one seed.”
Jarin, though, rued the lack of experience, saying it spelled doom for the youthful Fuel Masters.
He was on point. Only Jason Perkins, RJ Jazul, and RR Garcia were the remnants of the Phoenix squad which barged into the semifinals of the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble.
But the outspoken mentor saw this coming from miles away. That’s why he started young guys like Ricci Rivero, Raffy Verano, and Chris Lalata.
“I just wanted to show everybody that I trust each and everyone of them. They contributed. They jumpstarted our game so it was very successful,” Jarin said.
“Everybody got a semifinal experience. A little finetuning and we will become better on Friday.”
But now after getting a taste of playoff action, there’s no doubt in Jarin's mind that they are going to come out better in Game 2 on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“Going into the game (1), their advantage was most of their players have semifinal experience,” he said.
“Going into Game 2, the Fuel Masters roster, we all have semifinals experience. That’s what we needed. So we should be fine coming into Game 2.”
The game will air at 8 p.m. on A2Z, PBA Rush, and the Pilipinas Live app.