{"id":364300,"date":"2026-07-10T23:21:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T17:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=364300"},"modified":"2026-07-10T23:21:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T17:51:52","slug":"jimmy-alapag-says-debut-felt-like-first-day-of-faculty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/10\/jimmy-alapag-says-debut-felt-like-first-day-of-faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Alapag says debut felt like ‘first day of faculty’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Latest NLEX head coach Jimmy Alapag during a huddle in his 2026 PBA Governors\u2019 Cup debut. \u2013PBA IMAGES<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MANILA, Philippines\u2014Newly minted NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag was in high spirits Friday night at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo\u2014and rightfully so.<\/p>\n

In his head coaching debut in Group A of the PBA Governors\u2019 Cup, Alapag steered the Road Warriors to a dominant 114-75 rout of Macau.<\/p>\n

As expected, Alapag admitted to having first-game jitters. Coming away with a win, nevertheless, helped settle those nerves.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s almost like going home out of your first day of faculty,\u201d a beaming Alapag said, who’s home from the US after a stint as a part of an NBA coaching staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a great first day but still lots of work to be done. I\u2019ve only been here for nine or ten days but I\u2019m really comfortable with the group. I just love their competitive spirit and selflessness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alapag\u2019s system appeared to repay in its first game.<\/p>\n

NLEX finished with 30 team assists, a stark contrast to the Giant Pandas\u2019 eight.<\/p>\n

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The Road Warriors\u2019 unselfishness under the Talk N\u2019 Text legend allowed multiple swingmen to shine.<\/p>\n

For one, import Daequan Jones recorded a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Alas and LJay Gonzales, meanwhile, had 19 and 13 points, respectively.<\/p>\n

One game is hardly enough to evaluate success, but Alapag sees a shiny future in his squad.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe competitive spirit of this group may be very encouraging at this early stage,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery game is different though in order we move forward on this conference, the rotation may differ.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Latest NLEX head coach Jimmy Alapag during a huddle in his 2026 PBA Governors\u2019 Cup debut. \u2013PBA IMAGES MANILA, Philippines\u2014Newly minted NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag was in high spirits Friday night at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo\u2014and rightfully so. In his head coaching debut in Group A of the PBA Governors\u2019 Cup, Alapag steered the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[53714,1999,1806,414,3221,1683],"class_list":["post-364300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-alapag","tag-day","tag-debut","tag-felt","tag-jimmy","tag-school"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t