Phoenix coach Charles Tiu gestures during a game against Magnolia within the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.–PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Phoenix coach Charles Tiu and Magnolia mentor LA Tenorio are amongst those that are relatively latest to their roles within the PBA.
And to this point, Tiu has gotten the higher of Tenorio of their head-to-head coaching battles, albeit the small sample size.
“Tsamba lang. (It’s just luck.) I told him to offer me a probability because he just had his birthday,” Tiu said in jest after steering the Fuel Masters to a 98-86 win over Tenorio’s Hotshots on Saturday night at Ynares Sports Center in Montalban, Rizal.
“We just got lucky [today]. I’m sure that within the second round, they’d need to bounce back. The team just played well tonight so I give credit to them, all of them did their jobs.”
Tiu, just six months into his head coaching job, also guided Phoenix to a 101-98 victory over the Hotshots in his coaching debut with the Fuel Masters last conference.
READ: PBA: Tenorio displeased with Magnolia’s 2nd half woes in opening loss
Tiu, nonetheless, gave the impression of he couldn’t care any less about his coaching record against Tenorio. What he would moderately deal with is what’s next for his squad.
What lies ahead for the Fuel Masters doesn’t appear to be it’s going to be a simple path.
“I believe we’re in a tougher group, you guys saw how Blackwater looked against Rain or Shine. There’s also Ginebra and Meralco here.”
“It’s tough for us nevertheless it’s a part of the PBA. It’s challenge for us to see our growth and see where we stand.”
Phoenix takes on Meralco next on Wednesday at Araneta Coliseum.