For the moment, Alex Compton’s pressure-laden job as coach of the Alaska Aces is safe. This was made clear by no less than team owner Wilfred Uytengsu yesterday who also said, in retrospect, that his team’s best chances to win the championship was in Games 4 and 5.
Asked if he might replace Compton after blowing a 3-0 lead in the Philippine Cup title series, Uytengsu quickly said: “No plans.”
But he admitted the team needed to be strengthened after the Aces failed to put the San Miguel Beermen away in four tries, which, in tennis parlance, is like blowing four match points.
He said what he needed is not a new coach, but players suited to the system of Alaska although he did not elaborate what the system was.
“The objective is not just to get to the finals, but to win (a championship),” said Uytengsu.
Looking back at the series, Uytengsu wondered how his team could have lost it.
He said going 3-0 against a formidable team like San Miguel surprised them. “It was incredible,” he said, because “San Miguel is certainly a talented team.”
“It created an expectation that we’ll win one of the next four games of the finals series. We were right there in Game 4, we’re up 11 (points)… but we didn’t take care of business.”
“Same with Game 5, we were right there leading the game but we didn’t get it. In Game 6, we didn’t play a good game, and it was pretty much the same in Game 7, we didn’t play a good game either.”
“It’s disappointing to come so close (to winning the title),” added Uytengsu.