‘Very well-coached’ Talk ‘N Text impresses Ginebra import Leon Rodgers

Sports5 file/Paolo Papa

The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters rolled to their sixth straight victory to open the PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday, defeating Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

The Tropang Texters’ brilliant play has drawn place even from opponents, with Gin Kings import Leon Rodgers singing their praises shortly after the match.

“Talk ‘N Text is one of the better teams in the league. It reflects in their record,” said Rodgers.

“The reason why they’re one of the better teams is, No. 1, they’re very well-coached. Second, their team defense is pretty good. It was able to keep me out of the lane as far as scoring.”

Import Richard Howell has fit in well with the team’s local crew, doing the dirty job while other players step up. Against Ginebra, Ranidel De Ocampo led Talk ‘N Text with 29 points, while Howell added 19 and 23 rebounds.

“That’s one of the keys of our team, we don’t have to rely on our import to score a lot of points, but we just need him to deliver when it’s crucial for us,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black after the game.

“At the same time, we just relied on the locals to contribute every game offensively.”

But for team captain Jimmy Alapag, the perfect record isn’t something to celebrate just yet.

“To be honest, 6-0 doesn’t mean anything to us. It’s great to get off to a good start, especially with the format of this conference being so short. Our goals are much higher than just 6-0,” said Alapag.

The Tropang Texters are coming off a disappointing campaign in the Philippine Cup, getting knocked out in the quarterfinals after winning the tournament the past three seasons.

“It might have been a blessing in disguise as it gave us a little bit of extra time because it’s the first time in a long while that we really have to prepare for a conference. Guys were able to heal up and we were able to get in better condition going into the conference,” said Alapag.