FERN-C Hopes to Compete with the Big Boys
by Joseph W Buduan (February 18, 2010)

Bal David is a proven winner. He won in the UAAP under legendary Coach Aric Del Rosario and that fabled 4-Peat Santo Tomas championship dynasty. He won in the PBA with the Gordon’s Gin Boars. He in fact became famous in the PBA as a last-minute game-saver. In one career-making play, he took a shot from around the midcourt line and sank a Hail Mary shot to win the game for his side. All told, his basketball career turned out pretty well, not bad for a guy who started his PBA career as a free agent and latched on with the crowd darling Ginebra franchise. He got his big break with Ginebra, where his own gung-ho playing style fit right in with the most never-say-die franchise in PBA history.

David retired from playing a couple of years ago and set up his won business. He also helped his brother Bernard in handling the FERN-C exhibition basketball team as part of the company’s marketing and promotional thrusts. “FERN-C is now the official vitamins of the PBA, so basketball talaga is a big part ng company,” explained the young veteran mentor after a practice session at the RFM Gymnasium in Mandaluyong.

When FERN-C decided to join the PBA for this conference, there was a switcheroo in the coaching staff: Bal was named the head coach and Bernard became his chief assistant. Another familiar name in the coaching staff is yet another former Ginebra player in Estong Ballesteros. “Matagal na din naman naming hawak magkapatid ang exhibition team ng FERN-C, so parang hindi naman that big a deal that we switched places for the PBL, tsaka we also retained two of our own players from the exhibition team for the PBL,” David explained further.

Those two would be former Santo Tomas mainstays: 6-foot-2 forward Allan Evangelista and 6-foot-4 forward-center June Dizon. Lean 6-foot-4 forward Anthony Espiritu completes the cast of former UST Growling Tigers on this roster. This was not really something consciously planned by the team or the coaching staff, but it is a development that seems to make David personally happy. “We all came from the same UST system naman kasi, pare-pareho lang kaming mga naging player ni Coach Aric, so in a way hindi na mahirap para sa amin to run plays we are all familiar with,” David said.

Also present at that practice were some big and familiar names: NCAA Season 85 and erstwhile King Bomber John Marion Wilson, the 6-foot-2 swingman with the explosive scoring touch and toughness on the off-ball defense; 6-foot-4 forward Dave Najorda and 5-foot-8 guard Raymond Maconocido, both fresh off an NCAA championship with the San Sebastian Stags; super athletic 6-foot-5 forward-center Hand Thiele out of the University of the East; fleet-footed 5-foot-9 pointguard Yuri Escueta, who helped deliver the first of the recent back-to-back championships for the Ateneo Blue Eagles; tough guy 6-foot-4 forward-center PJ Walsham from the mighty De La Salle program; 6-foot-3 forward Jun Tanuan from Far Eastern University; 5-foot-10 guard Axel Doruelo, coming fresh off a stint in the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League.

This is a group of players who could form a solid and talented core for the FERN-C squad. Although they have not really had that much time to come together as a team, the talent is something David is only beginning to appreciate. “When I see them in practice every one is working hard, lahat naman buhos, and I am also thankful to the coaching staff for helping me out with the selection of players,” said David. “Our main concern now is of course getting them to really become a team, na magkaroon sila ng solid na samahan, ng totoong camaraderie, kasi that is important lalo na kapag crucial stages na ng tournament,” he added further.

David knows whereof he speaks. That legendary UST team and that iconic Gordon’s Gin team were both tight-knit groups held together by coaches who were very strong-willed and very charismatic. They led by example, and David is trying to do the same thing for FERN-C. “This is my first time being the head coach in the PBL, so I am trying to apply what I learned also from my own former coaches, as well as mga sarili kong experiences bilang isa din dating player,” he explained.

During this practice it was still evident how far they have to go to jell as a team. David was explaining and demonstrating how he wanted their halfcourt set to go, but guys were still getting confused as to where they ought to be and where they ought to go. Wayward passes and misused screens came and went. They had to go through the halfcourt sets and drills several times around with all the players in various combinations. David wanted this set to provide as many options on offense as possible.

Towards the end though, they were finally getting it done the way David and the coaching staff wanted it. In the scrimmage, they ran the play to see how it would work in actual game situations, and they ran it well enough, with still a few kinks to work out here and there. “Medyo malayo pa tayo sa real cohesiveness as a team, pero lahat naman madadaan sa practice, beterano na din naman ang mga players namin, so just a few more practice sessions should get it done,” David said, teeming with confidence.

This being the first time for the company to try out the PBL, it is important to temper expectations without losing that edge of working hard in every practice and in every game. Management has given its full support and trust to the team, and the team certainly wants to show that it is worth it. “Siempre naman gusto namin ipakita sa mga bosses that we will make their investment in the team worthwhile,” David emphasized. “Hindi biro ang magtayo ng team, it is not just the expense, it is also the time and effort, kaya nga hopefully makapasok man lang kami sa semis,” he added.

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