Beaujing Acot accepted the coaching challenge, weathered the early storm, and fared better than predicted.
After steering the Makati Super Crunch past the Bulacan Kuyas, 2-0, in the quarterfinals, Acot is optimistic his wards will continue to do well versus the Manila Stars in their North division semifinal tussle in the Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan Season starting on Friday (February 28).
“If we are consistent on defense and communicate on offense, we’ll be able to put up a good fight,” said Acot, who boldly decided to handle the reins for the Super Crunch following the sudden departure of longtime coach Cholo Villanueva.
The Super Crunch toted a 20-6 win-loss record and were bound to the playoffs when Villanueva left, so there was pressure for Acot to deliver with players alien to his coaching style and system.
True enough, the Super Crunch got crushed by the Davao Occidental Tigers, 101-79, in Acot’s inauspicious debut, sparking a torrent of insults from bashers.
The Super Crunch management, led by team owner Paolo Orbeta, stood by Acot though and he restored some semblance of order in Makati’s 119-107 dumping of Caloocan.
Back-to-back losses to Pasay and Nueva Ecija and an elimination round-closing 91-90 squeaker over General Santos put doubts on Makati’s capability to hurdle Bulacan in the quarterfinals.
Acot and the Super Crunch proved doomsayers wrong, however, as they swept the Kuyas, 94-88 and 86-78, even after yielding their homecourt advantage due to unavailability of the Makati Coliseum.
Thus, the Super Crunch surpassed their performance in the MPBL Datu Cup, where they got waylaid by the Quezon City Capitals in the quarterfinals even with Villanueva at the helm.
Acot, former mentor of Cebuana Lhuillier in the PBA D-League and founder/director of Pinoy Youth Dreamers, attributed the Super Crunch’s resurgence to the players and the all-out support of management.
