Source: Brunei Times
Jason Thomas
Bandar Seri Begawan – They say two heads are better than one. The Brunei Barracudas couldn’t agree more believing that Bong Ramos’s return at the helm will make the side more organised.
Still without a win in their first three Asean Basketball League (ABL) games, the Barracudas brought back Ramos to replace American Ozell Wells as the head coach on Wednesday, and the consensus among players is that the Filipino is the right man for the job with Wells still playing an important role as an assistant coach alongside Wong Yee Chai.
“It’s a good move,” said Vice-captain Esmond Tan, who played under Ramos during the team’s inaugural season last year. “Coach Wells is more into offence but coach Bong is a mixture of offence and defence.
“We already know his plays so for most of the locals it is easy. Coach Bong also emphasises punctuality so we get to him and it will take us time to adjust to his system. But I’m glad he’s still around, he knows a lot about basketball. “I’m looking forward to playing under coach Bong again and I’m sure he can bring us our first win,” Tan told The Brunei Times yesterday.
Ramos arrived from the Brunei International Airport straight to the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat on Wednesday night for his first training session with the players.
He won’t have to wait long to prove that the club made the right choice in re-hiring him, with the Barracudas facing Satria Muda BritAma at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta tomorrow. Though Ramos might be familiar with the locals, the backbone of the team will be playing under him for the first time. With the starting-five from last season having already left for greener pastures.
Ramos is looking at a whole new set of faces in his line-up. American imports Chris Garnett and Chris Commons join the trio of Asean imports of Ramsey Williams, Bryan Faundo and Chester Tolomia as the players who start every game.
Having played in a club that Ramos used to coach, point-guard Williams said that the former Indonesian national team handler’s reputation precedes him.
“I heard about coach Bong before when I was playing for Air21 Express (in the Philippine Basketball Association) last year. He was the team’s head coach but that was before my time.
“Coach Bong is more systematic … more focused on the little things. Running us through the sets and making sure we execute. Coach Wells is more motivational. “I think it’s going to be a lot better, a lot easier. More stable offensive sets, it won’t be so stagnant,” added the Filipino-American who runs the plays for the team.
Ramos was also assistant coach at PBA’s Barangay Ginebra and Talk n’ Text – working under ex-Philippines national team head coach Vincent `Chot’ Reyes in the latter.
Ramos made his name in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) where he was named the 2003 Coach of the Year for guiding Aspac to a quadruple championship that same year.
Lim Aik Hock felt the communication skill Ramos brings to the floor is one of his strong points. “It’s easier with him because he speaks a lot louder. I can hear him from the other end of the court,” said Lim, adding that Ramos is more organised.
For Benjamin Lim, the difference between Wells and Ramos was crystal clear. “Coach Wells’s style is more laidback. He lets the players express themselves more,” he said.
“We will eventually get a win with coach Wells, but it will just take longer our season is only 15 games long. “With coach Bong it’s more controlled. It’s easier for him to get his ideas across and plus he knows the locals better.
“But it’s good that coach Wells is still around, we can really use him because he knows a lot about the international players and imports,” he added
Brunei’s first professional basketball club, Xavier Fong, Presley Ho, Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili, Jamri Ramlee and Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin make up the rest of the Barracudas roster. . — Source: Brunei Times
Philippine Patriots! 