The Final Score: Bal David is back on the Court

Fern-C (1-3) not only has the most lethal scorer in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), they also have the most recognizable coach in the league. John Wilson makes defenders wobble on the floor but it’s his head coach, former PBA superstar Bal David, who still makes heads turn off the court. On a team comprised of PBL veterans and collegiate standouts, all eyes still follow the quick moves of The Flash.

David looks like he hasn’t aged. He looks like he can still zigzag down the court in less than 5 seconds. He still sports the same buzz-cut. He’s still surrounded by fellow UST Growling Tigers. When he first entered the PBA in 1996, he needed to prove he could play. Now in the PBL, in his first season as head tactician, he needs to prove he can coach. “Masarap makatikim finally ng panalo," David, moments after leading Fern-C to its first win in the PBL, said. “Parang championship." After opening the season with three losses, pressure was mounting on David to deliver results. After all David had Wilson, league leading scorer, at his disposal. Although some may argue that Cobra’s Paul Lee (23.7 PPG) is a better player, no one contests that Wilson is the league’s top scorer (29 PPG). They also do things differently. Whenever Lee drives to the basket, his facial expression never changes. Lee scores effortlessly, almost gracefully. Wilson, in contrast, does everything by sheer willpower. On his way to scoring a jack-knife lay-up against 2 defenders, Wilson grimaces and grunts like he was having a root-canal on the floor. Wilson tallied 29 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block to lead Fern-C to its first win and give David win number one as head coach. “Sabi nga ng mga kaibigan ko muntikan pa kami matalo," David jokingly said after his team almost lost the game despite starting off like a team possessed in the first quarter. “Pero mabuti na yung muntik matalo kaysa muntik manalo." In many ways, David’s team is a reflection of its coach. I’m not at all surprised that David selected point guards Yuri Escueta, Raymond Maconocido and Jonathan Semira to run his plays. They all play high-speed basketball the way David once did. After all, David wasn’t christened “The Flash" because he ran half-court plays like no one else. David was dubbed “The Flash" because he orchestrated Ginebra fast-breaks faster than everyone else. A coach, however, teaches players to always combine flash and form, style and substance. David’s challenge, therefore, is to convince players and pundits that his coaching method is not just built on speed or scoring but on a winning system. “Sa tingin ko konting samahan pa, mas gaganda pa performance ng team," David, who cited lack of chemistry as one reason for their 0-3 start, said. After David’s retirement as a player in 2005, nothing has changed. He’s still out to prove skeptics wrong. The Flash is still out to prove that he can win. - GMANews.TV